December 28, 1994 Tsunami: Tohuku, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake began at Tohuku, Japan on December 28, 1994 at 12:19:23 UTC. The water rose as high as 0.53 meters. Its effects were recorded at 13 places. It killed 3 people, counting the earthquake or eruption that caused it.
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
- December 28, 1994, 12:19:23 UTC
- Source
- Tohuku, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 7.8, 27 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 0.53 m (1.7 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 13
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 40.525° N, 143.419° E
The toll
- Deaths
- 3 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Injuries
- 200 with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
- Damage
- $170.4 million with the earthquake or eruption that caused it
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. A local tsunami produced the following wave heights (peak-to-trough): 110 cm at Miyako, 88 cm at Hachinohe, 54 cm at Ofunato, 10 cm at Choshi, Honshu, and 48 cm at Urakawa, 36 cm at Hakodate and Kushiro, Hokkaido. (reference #1315)
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 | 156 | 0.5 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 12:45 | ||
| Hachinohe | Japan | 160 | 0.5 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 12:55 | ||
| Hachinohe (Kensetsukyoku) | Japan | 161 | 0.5 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Urakawa | Japan | 190 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 12:58 | ||
| Ofunato | Japan | 220 | 0.27 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 12:59 | ||
| Hakodate | Japan | 262 | 0.22 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Hakodateko | Japan | 265 | 0.22 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kushiro | Japan | 283 | 0.22 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 13:10 | ||
| Ayukawa | Japan | 297 | 0.46 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 13:10 | ||
| Hanasaki | Japan | 354 | 0.19 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | day 28, 13:19 | ||
| Onahama | Japan | 455 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Choshi | Japan | 575 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Mera | Japan | 698 | 0.14 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1994The 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 2235.