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: November 21, 2016
Time: 20:59:49 UTC
Place: Near E Coast Honshu, Japan
Magnitude: 6.9 (Mw)
Focal depth: 9 km (6 mi)
Intensity: VIII, severe shaking, on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami: Yes: the tsunami it caused
Epicenter: 37.393° N, 141.387° E
Country: Japan
Region: East Asia
USGS record: The USGS’s page for this earthquake

The toll

Injuries: 15
Damage: Limited (under about $1 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.

From Wikipedia

The 2016 Fukushima earthquake struck Japan east-southeast of Namie, Fukushima Prefecture at 05:59 JST on November 22 (20:59 Nov 21 UTC) with depth of 11.4 km (7.1 mi). The shock had a maximum intensity of VII (Very strong) on the Mercalli scale. The earthquake was initially reported as a 7.3 magnitude by Japan Meteorological Agency, and was later revised to 7.4, while the United States Geological Survey and GFZ Potsdam determined a magnitude of 6.9.

There were no deaths as a result of the earthquake, however seventeen people were injured; three of which were in critical condition. Minor damage was caused, with reports of fires. The Fukushima Daini Nuclear Power Plant had one of its spent fuel cooling systems shut down briefly, though no measurable change in radiation levels was detected. A tsunami warning was issued with waves predicted up to 3 metres (9 ft 10 in), though actual waves were recorded between 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) and 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height.

Text from Wikipedia, “2016 Fukushima earthquake”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted as written; the full article has the rest.

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Fifteen people injured, minor damage and a power outage occurred in Fukushima. A fire broke out at a research facility in Iwaki. A tsunami with a wave height of 1.4 m was recorded at Sendai. Felt (VII) at Iwaki and (VI) at Koriyama. Felt throughout central and northern Honshu. Recorded (5L JMA) in Fukushima, Ibaraki and Tochigi.

From the USGS event page for us10007b88. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Magnitude estimates

The magnitudes the USGS catalog lists for this earthquake, by scale and by who computed them. NCEI’s own scales are in the table above.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
6.9	Mww, W-phase moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed
6.93	Mw, moment	ISC-GEM global catalog	Final · ±0.1
7.3	Mi	NOAA National Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 11 stations
7.3	Mi	NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center	Reviewed · 16 stations
6.7	Mwb, body-wave moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Moment tensor · Reviewed

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

Fifteen people injured, minor damage and a power outage occurred in Fukushima. A fire broke out at a research facility in Iwaki. A tsunami with a wave height of 1.4 m was recorded at Sendai. Felt (VII) at Iwaki and (VI) at Koriyama. Felt throughout central and northern Honshu. Recorded (5L JMA) in Fukushima, Ibaraki and Tochigi. Namie, Fukushima, Japan - CDI: 8; Kitaibaraki, Ibaraki, Japan - CDI: 7; Iwaki, Fukushima, Japan - CDI: 7; Komaki, Aichi, Japan - CDI: 6; Soma, Fukushima, Japan - CDI: 6 (reference #13456)

The magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck in the same region that was devastated by a tsunami in 2011, killing some 18,000 people. The Japan Meteorological Agency said Tuesday's quake was an aftershock of that magnitude 9.0 earthquake more than five years ago... There were reports of minor injuries and damage, Japanese broadcaster NHK said. The earthquake shook buildings in Tokyo, 240 kilometers (150 miles) southwest of the epicenter. (reference #11672)

According to reports from NHK World, a cooling system at Fukushima number two nuclear plant's third reactor stopped operating following the quake. No cooling water had leaked out but the temperature of the water had began to increase slightly, NHK reported. However, it could take a week for temperatures to reach dangerous levels. By about 8.30am Japan time the cooling system was operational again, reports said. (reference #11671)

On November 21, 2016 (20:59:49.270 UTC), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), a normal fault earthquake occurred off the coast of Fukushima, northeast of the Japan Coast. The epicenter estimated bythe Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) was at 37.392°N, 141.403°S, located approximately 20 km east of the coast of Fukushima Prefecture and 105 km south-east of Sendai Port (Fig. 1a). This event generated a relatively small tsunami that was observed at several tide gauges and offshore stations located along the Pacific North coast of Japan. (reference #12141)

Sources NCEI cites

The publications NCEI lists for this record. The numbers match the “reference #” notes in its account above.

#11671 Daily Mail (2016). 7.4-magnitude earthquake triggers fears a three-metre tsunami is about to hit Fukushima in Japan where a huge wave triggered a nuclear meltdown five years ago. Published: 16:20 EST, 21 November 2016, Updated: 02:43 EST, 22 November 2016.
#11672 nbcwashington.com (2016). Offshore Quake Causes Tsunamis, Nuclear Worries in Japan. Published at 4:25 PM EST on Nov 21, 2016, Updated at 1:06 AM EST on Nov 22, 2016.
#12141 Adriano, Bruno, Yushiro Fujii, and Shunichi Koshimura (2018). Tsunami source and inundation features around Sendai Coast, Japan, due to the November 22, 2016 M w 6.9 Fukushima earthquake. Geoscience Letters, 5(1), 2.
#13456 U.S. Geological Survey (2017 to present). Earthquake Hazards Program, Advanced National Seismic System (ANSS) Comprehensive Catalog of Earthquake Events and Products.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 2016 The 2000s Every quake the USGS located in 2016 Recent earthquakes near here This 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 2026-10-01. NCEI earthquake 10209. The written accounts and the magnitude estimates are from the USGS earthquake catalog, event us10007b88, matched to this record by time, place and magnitude.