October 27, 2004 Earthquake: Niigata Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Niigata Prefecture, Honshu, Japan on October 27, 2004 at 01:40:50 UTC, 14 km below the surface.
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
- October 27, 2004
- Time
- 01:40:50 UTC
- Place
- Niigata Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
- Magnitude
- 5.9 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 14 km (9 mi)
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 37.284° N, 138.885° E
- Country
- Japan
The toll
- Injuries
- 5
- Damage
- Limited (under about $1 million)
- Houses destroyed
- 1
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.
At least five people injured; one building destroyed and some others damaged; water and gas lines broke in Niigata
Prefecture. Felt in Gumma, Kanagawa, Nagano, Saitama
and Tokyo Prefectures. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- May 8, 1847, Zenkoji, Nagano, Japan
- November 11, 1855, Tokyo, Japan
- September 27, 1611, Aidu, Japan
- May 20, 1751, NW, Honshu, Japan
- August 2, 887, Niigata, Honshu, Japan
- February 1, 1666, Takata, Japan
- December 18, 1828, Sandyo IN Etigo, Japan
- January 1, 2024, Ishikawa, Honshu, Japan
- April 9, 1858, N, Hida, Japan
- December 7, 1833, NW, Honshu, Japan
- October 23, 2004, Niigata Prefecture, Honshu, Japan
- April 28, 1714, Oomati, Japan
- April 21, 1659, Aidu, Japan
- June 16, 1964, W Coast, Honshu, Japan
- June 20, 1894, Tokyo, Japan
More
Significant earthquakes of 2004The 2000sEvery quake the USGS located in 2004Recent 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 5808.