December 28, 1994 Earthquake: Honshu, Japan
A magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Honshu, Japan on December 28, 1994 at 12:19:23 UTC, 27 km below the surface. It killed 3 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
- December 28, 1994
- Time
- 12:19:23 UTC
- Place
- Honshu, Japan
- Magnitude
- 7.8 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 27 km (17 mi)
- Intensity
- 9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 40.525° N, 143.419° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 3
- Injuries
- 200
- Damage
- $170.4 million
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 December 28, 1994, a magnitude 7.5 Ms (Mw 7.8) (HRV) earthquake at 12:19 UT off the east coast of Honshu, Japan, caused three fatalities, more than 200 injuries, and damage in the Hachinohe area. The earthquake generated a local tsunami. (reference #1315)
2 fatalities, 238 injuries, $170.4 million damage. (reference #1250)
Three people killed, more than 200 injured
and damage (VI JMA) in the Hachinohe area. Felt (V JMA)
at Aomori, Morioka and Mutsu; (IV JMA) at Miyako and
Ofunato; (III JMA) at Sendai. Felt (VI) at Misawa. Also
felt (IV JMA) at Hakodate, Obihiro, Tomakomai and
Urakawa; (III JMA) at Sapporo, Hokkaido. Felt as far
away as Tokyo. Local tsunami generated. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- June 15, 1896, Sanriku, Japan
- December 2, 1611, Sanriku, Japan
- March 2, 1933, Sanriku, Japan
- December 6, 1616, Sanriku, Japan
- May 16, 1968, Off East Coast of Honshu Island, Japan
- March 4, 1952, Hokkaido, Japan
- August 23, 1856, Oshima, Japan
- August 9, 1901, Off Northeast Coast Honshu, Japan
- September 25, 2003, Hokkaido, Japan
- July 23, 2008, N, Honshu, Japan
- January 29, 1763, Sanriku,mutsu, Japan
- April 8, 1994, Off East Coast of Honshu Island, Japan
- August 20, 2016, Off East Coast Honshu, Japan
- June 10, 1088, Sanriku, Japan
- February 20, 1979, Iwate, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1994The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1994Recent 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 5397.