November 1, 1989 Tsunami: Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake began at Japan on November 1, 1989 at 18:25:34 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.9 meters. Its effects were recorded at 12 places.
Where the waves reached
The source (white) and every runup with a place, colored by the water height recorded there. A ring is a runup NCEI marks doubtful.
- Under 1 m
- 1 to 3 m
- 3 to 10 m
- 10 to 30 m
- 30 m and more
- Height not recorded
The tsunami
- Date
- November 1, 1989, 18:25:34 UTC
- Source
- Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.4, 29 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.9 m (3.0 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 12
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- -0.7
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Probable tsunami
- Source location
- 39.837° N, 142.760° E
The toll
The record gives no deaths, injuries or damage for this tsunami.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
A 7.4 Ms earthquake generated a tsunami at several locations around Japan.
Every runup
Nearest the source first. Heights are above sea level at the time; a tide gauge reads half the wave’s full height.
| Where | Country | Km from source | Water height, m | Inland, m | Measured by | First wave, UTC | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miyako | Japan | 70 | 0.53 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ofunato | Japan | 126 | 0.24 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hachinohe | Japan | 130 | 0.29 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ayukawa | Japan | 202 | 0.3 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Urakawa | Japan | 259 | 0.26 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hakodate | Japan | 271 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Tokachiko | Japan | 278 | 0.11 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Tomakomainishiko | Japan | 325 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Onahama | Japan | 361 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kushiro | Japan | 374 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hitachiko | Japan | 415 | 0.16 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 448 | 0.13 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1989The 1900sTsunamis of JapanThe earthquakeThis day in weather historyAlerts in force
Sources
Tsunami events and runups 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 tsunami event 2190.