June 28, 1948 Earthquake: Fukui, Japan
A magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck Fukui, Japan on June 28, 1948 at 07:13:00 UTC, 20 km below the surface. It killed 5,131 people.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- June 28, 1948
- Time
- 07:13:00 UTC
- Place
- Fukui, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.3
- Focal depth
- 20 km (12 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 36.500° N, 136.000° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 5,131
- Injuries
- 11,000
- Damage
- $1 billion
- Houses destroyed
- 63,000
- Houses damaged
- 18,543
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
Reference #1136 says, Area of destruction small (200 sq. mi.) but damage very heavy within that area. Fires in wooden houses spread, for a total of 3,960 burned houses in addition to the 63,000 that were destroyed by the earthquake. The intensity of the earthquake in the epicentral area on the Fukui alluvial plain was the highest value on the (Japan) Central Meteorological Observatory's scale (VI--total destruction, which would probably equal to IX in MM). No tsunamis resulted. 5131 killed, 11,000 injured, 63035 houses destroyed, 18543 houses damaged, 3960 houses burned.
5131 deaths, $1000 million damage. (reference #1250)
magnitude 7.3 and 5390 deaths. (reference #1173)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 8, 1847, Zenkoji, Nagano, Japan
- January 18, 1586, Ise Bay, Japan
- October 27, 1891, Mino-Owari, Japan
- March 7, 1927, SW, Honshu, Japan
- February 1, 1666, Takata, Japan
- July 9, 1854, Iga, Ise, Yamato, Japan
- June 16, 1662, Yamasiro, Japan
- January 1, 2024, Ishikawa, Honshu, Japan
- May 23, 1925, Tajima, Honshu, Japan
- August 19, 1830, Kyoto, Japan
- April 9, 1858, N, Hida, Japan
- April 28, 1714, Oomati, Japan
- August 14, 1909, Oomi, Japan
- September 13, 1984, Mt Ontake, Central, Honshu, Japan
- August 19, 1961, W Coast, Honshu, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1948The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1948Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 3884.