January 14, 1978 Earthquake: Tokkaido, Oshima, Japan
A magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck Tokkaido, Oshima, Japan on January 14, 1978 at 03:24:39 UTC, 14 km below the surface. It killed 25 people, counting the tsunami it caused.
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
- January 14, 1978
- Time
- 03:24:39 UTC
- Place
- Tokkaido, Oshima, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.6 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 14 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 5 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 34.809° N, 139.259° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 25
- Missing
- 4
- Injuries
- 129
- Damage
- Severe (about $5 to $25 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 85
- Houses damaged
- 544
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.
On January 14, 1978, at 12:24 [local time] a strong earthquake occurred in the Izu region of Japan. The epicenter was located between the Izu Peninsula and
Oshima Island. The earthquake caused great destruction. 25 people were killed, 129 were injured, 85 houses were totally destroyed, and 544 were damaged. Roads, railway lines and port structures, etc., were damaged. Landslides were observed and cracks appeared in the ground. This earthquake-produced a weak tsunami which was recorded by many tide gauges. (reference #417)
21 killed, 119 injured ad 4 people reported missing. Damage (V JMA) on Oshima and at Yokohama. (reference #1053)
25 killed, 94 houses destroyed; unknown magnitude 7.0. (reference #150)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- September 1, 1923, Tokyo, Yokohama, Japan
- May 27, 1293, Kamakura, Japan
- November 11, 1855, Tokyo, Japan
- December 30, 1703, Off SW Boso Peninsula, Japan
- September 20, 1498, Enshunada Sea, Japan
- January 12, 1945, S, Honshu, Japan
- October 28, 1707, Enshunada, Japan
- February 3, 1605, Enshunada, Japan
- December 23, 1854, Enshunada Sea, Japan
- December 17, 1096, Enshunada, Japan
- November 25, 1930, Idu, Honshu, Japan
- September 12, 1495, Kamakura, Japan
- July 29, 1649, Tokyo, Japan
- March 1, 1633, Odawara, Japan
- March 11, 1853, Odawara, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1978The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1978Recent 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 4788.