Earthquakes in Japan — January 2025

49 earthquakes were recorded in Japan during January 2025, an average of 1.6 per day.

49 reached magnitude 4 or above and 11 reached magnitude 5 or above. The average focal depth was 115 km.

The month's largest event in Japan was a magnitude 6.8 earthquake near 福岡, Japan on 13 January 2025 at 12:19 UTC. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake radiates roughly 239,006 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

That is close to the Japan monthly average of 57 events over the period we cover, and up from the 43 recorded the previous month.

71% of events here are shallow (under 70 km), 10% intermediate (70–300 km) and 18% deep-focus (over 300 km). That proportion of deep-focus events is the signature of a subduction zone: only a cold slab descending into the mantle stays brittle enough to rupture at those depths.

By band, the catalogue holds 38 in the magnitude 4 range, 10 in the magnitude 5 range, 1 in the magnitude 6 range.

Activity peaked on 18 January, when 7 events were recorded.

1 event(s) this month carry a USGS link to NOAA tsunami information; the flag does not indicate whether a tsunami occurred.

The month's largest events were M6.8 near 福岡, Japan on 13 January at 49 km; M5.6 near Izu Islands, Japan on 07 January at 378 km; M5.5 near Nichinan, Japan on 14 January at 30 km.

That is 14% below the 57 events Japan averages per month across the 21 months on record.