Earthquakes in Japan — March 2026

83 earthquakes were recorded in Japan during March 2026, an average of 2.7 per day.

83 reached magnitude 4 or above and 16 reached magnitude 5 or above. The average focal depth was 65 km.

The month's largest event in Japan was a magnitude 6.5 earthquake near Yamada, Japan on 26 March 2026 at 14:18 UTC. A magnitude 6.5 earthquake radiates roughly 84,802 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

That is well above the Japan monthly average of 57 events over the period we cover — an unusually active month, and up from the 68 recorded the previous month.

83% of events here are shallow (under 70 km), 10% intermediate (70–300 km) and 7% 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 67 in the magnitude 4 range, 14 in the magnitude 5 range, 2 in the magnitude 6 range.

Activity peaked on 26 March, when 10 events were recorded.

The month's largest events were M6.5 near Yamada, Japan on 26 March at 10 km; M6.0 near Volcano Islands, Japan on 02 March at 20 km; M5.9 near Yamada, Japan on 26 March at 25 km.

That is 46% above the 57 events Japan averages per month across the 21 months on record.