Japan sees earthquakes of seven or above magnitude around once a yearpublished at 10:32 BST
Kurumi Mori
Tokyo correspondent
Image source, EPAA powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Japan in December 2025
Statistically speaking, Japan gets an earthquake with a
magnitude seven or above about every 16 months, so that’s just under once a
year on average.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, the country
accounts for more than 10% of all earthquakes with a magnitude of six or higher
that occur worldwide.
The most recent major quake was a magnitude 7.6 off Aomori
prefecture in December 2025, but the deadliest modern event was the 2011 Tohoku
earthquake which was magnitude 9.0, triggering a tsunami, killing more than
18,000 and causing a nuclear meltdown in Fukushima prefecture.
When the tsunami warnings were triggered then, many people
didn’t think the tsunami would be so big and didn’t seek high enough ground.
Now, the government issues tsunami warnings and advisories
and urges residents to flee the area as soon as possible.
There’s been more education about tsunami waves since 2011
about how even a 30cm wave can be life-threatening.
