January 16, 1995 Earthquake: Kobe, Awaji-Shima, Nishinomiya, SW Honshu, Japan
A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck Kobe, Awaji-Shima, Nishinomiya, SW Honshu, Japan on January 16, 1995 at 20:46:53 UTC, 17 km below the surface. It killed 6,434 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
- January 16, 1995
- Time
- 20:46:53 UTC
- Place
- Kobe, Awaji-Shima, Nishinomiya, SW Honshu, Japan
- Magnitude
- 6.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 17 km (11 mi)
- Intensity
- 11 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- Yes: the tsunami it caused
- Epicenter
- 34.590° N, 135.069° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Deaths
- 6,434
- Injuries
- 43,792
- Damage
- $100 billion
- Houses destroyed
- 186,175
- Houses damaged
- 274,182
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.
Five thousand five hundred two people confirmed killed, 36,896 injured and extensive damage (VII JMA) in the Kobe area and on Awaji-shima. Over 90 percent of the casualties occurred along the southern coast of Honshu between Kobe and Nishinomiya. At least 28 people were killed by a landslide at Nishinomiya. About 310,000 people were evacuated to temporary shelters. Over 200,000 buildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous fires, gas and water main breaks and power outages occurred in the epicentral area. Felt (VII JMA) along a coastal strip extending from Suma Ward, Kobe to Nishinomiya and in the Ichinomiya area on Awaji-shima; (V JMA) at Hikone, Kyoto and Toyooka; (IV JMA) at Nara, Okayama, Osaka and Wakayama; (V) at Iwakuni. Also felt (IV JMA) at Takamatsu, Shikoku. Right-lateral surface faulting was observed for 9 kilometers with horizontal displacement of 1.2 to 1.5 meters in the northern part of Awaji-shima. Liquefaction also occurred in the epicentral area. (from reference #1053)
Reference #1272 lists intensity X.
Reference #1282 lists intensity XI.
1995, January 16. 5,297 killed, 541,636 affected, $100,000 million damage. (reference #1250)
Death: 6,434; Injured 43,792; Households destroyed:186,175; Buildings destroyed: 104,906; Buildings semi-destroyed: 144,274; Households semi-destroyed and 274,182; Buildings partly damaged: 390,506. (Total buildings damaged: 639,686. (reference# 13419)
1995 Jan 06, 20:46:53.63 UTC, magnitude 6.86 Mw, depth 17.6, 34.59 N 135.069 E (reference #10476, v. 9.1)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- January 18, 1586, Ise Bay, Japan
- October 28, 1707, Nankaido, Japan
- February 3, 1605, Nankaido, Japan
- March 7, 1927, SW, Honshu, Japan
- December 24, 1854, Nankaido, Japan
- January 12, 1945, S, Honshu, Japan
- September 10, 1943, S, Honshu, Japan
- December 20, 1946, S Coast, Honshu, Japan
- July 9, 1854, Iga, Ise, Yamato, Japan
- December 7, 1944, Off Southeast Coast Kii Peninsula, Japan
- December 20, 1711, Seionaikai, Japan
- August 3, 1361, Nankaido, Japan
- June 16, 1662, Yamasiro, Japan
- May 23, 1925, Tajima, Honshu, Japan
- August 19, 1830, Kyoto, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 1995The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1995Recent 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 5399.