October 19, 1995 Tsunami: Ryukyu Islands, Japan
A tsunami caused by a magnitude 6.8 earthquake and a landslide began at Ryukyu Islands, Japan on October 19, 1995 at 02:41:36 UTC. The water rose as high as 1.5 meters. Its effects were recorded at 16 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
- October 19, 1995, 02:41:36 UTC
- Source
- Ryukyu Islands, Japan
- Cause
- Earthquake and landslide
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 6.8, 20 km deep
- Maximum water height
- 1.5 m (4.9 ft)
- Runups recorded
- 16
- Tsunami intensity (Soloviev-Imamura)
- 0.5
- Tsunami magnitude (Iida)
- 0.6
- Waters
- Ocean
- How certain
- Definite tsunami
- Source location
- 28.094° N, 130.148° 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.
October 19, 1995 A magnitude 6.9 Ms (Mw 6.7) (USGS) aftershock at 02:42 UT in the Ryukyu Islands caused landslides on Kikai-shima and generated a tsunami with heights of 1.5 meters along some coastal areas. It was observed near Amami O-Shima. It was recorded with
heights of 11 cm at Tosashimizu, Japan, and 9 cm at Murotomisaki, Japan. Validity 4. (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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nakanoshima (Nakano Island) | Japan | 197 | 0.25 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Nishinoomote | Japan | 304 | 0.08 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Ryukyu Island | Japan | 472 | 1.5 | ||||
| Tosa-Shimizu | Japan | 585 | 0.1 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kochi | Japan | 687 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Murotomisaki | Japan | 691 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kushimoto | Japan | 803 | 0.06 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Owase | Japan | 880 | 0.04 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Omaezaki | Japan | 1,054 | 0.05 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Yaene, Hachijo Island | Japan | 1,076 | 0.15 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kaminato, Hachijo Island | Japan | 1,080 | 0.11 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Kozushima | Japan | 1,092 | 0.17 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Minami-Izu | Japan | 1,101 | 0.12 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Okada | Japan | 1,148 | 0.2 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Mera | Japan | 1,190 | 0.16 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) | |||
| Chichijima Island | Japan | 1,194 | 0.09 | Tide gauge (half the maximum wave height) |
More
Every tsunami in 1995The 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 2254.