On January 13, 2025, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck southwestern Japan at 9:19 p.m. Earthquake magnitude is calculated on a scale from one to ten, with one to two only detected by seismology (the study of earthquakes and seismic waves that cause them), and eight to ten causing mass damage and loss of livelihoods. The quake occurred at a depth of 30 metres in the Hyuganada Sea, creating a tsunami that measured one metre high. Immediately after the earthquake, tsunami advisories were announced in the Miyazaki and Kochi prefectures ( Japanese municipalities). Residents of some small coastal villages were asked to evacuate as a precautionary measure. Within a half hour of the earthquake, a three-foot wave made landfall. Advisories remained in effect for three hours following the tsunami, out of caution of potential rebounding waves, but nothing significant followed the alerts.
The earthquake caused mass erosion in certain areas, so weather officials advised locals to be cautious around cliffs and remain vigilant of rock falls and landslides. One man fell down a flight of stairs amidst the earthquake, but he has been identified as the only individual injured by the quake. Trains were suspended in Miyazaki station while the tsunami advisory was in effect, which left passengers stranded.
Japan is frequently affected by earthquakes due to its location along the “Ring of Fire,” a zone of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific. The country’s meteorological experts met following the January 13 earthquake to assess risks in the near future, but no extraordinary measures were deemed necessary. They continue to monitor the Nankai Trough, a region known for periodic major quakes, which has caused significant destruction in the past, including a deadly 1946 quake which killed over 1,300 people.
In recent years, Japan has faced multiple significant seismic events, including a deadly quake in the north-central Noto region in January 2024, as well as a powerful earthquake off southern Japan in August 2024. A historic 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck in 2011, which killed around 18,500 people and caused the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Due to Japan’s location and history, the country has strict construction codes in place to withstand earthquakes. Japan also conducts regular emergency drills to prepare its citizens for disaster response. The capital, Tokyo, was also devastated by a major earthquake in 1923.
Despite the earthquake magnitude scale maximum being ten, an earthquake of this magnitude has yet to strike. To date, the highest magnitude earthquake (9.5) was the 1960 Valdivia quake in Chile. This earthquake resulted in an 80-foot tsunami and although the actual death toll was not calculated, it is estimated to be at least 1,600. Four years later, in 1964, the second most severe earthquake (9.2) struck in Alaska. It was caused by the Pacific oceanic plate sinking under the North American continental plate.
With a population density smaller than Chile’s, Alaska’s earthquake had a lower death toll. The earthquake resulted in under 200 lives lost, but its environmental effects were severe. The earthquake permanently transformed the Alaskan landscape. A number of long-term economic and ecological effects resulted, including salt water flooding to destroy coastal marshlands, forests, and freshwater reservoirs which disturbed the habitats of countless species.
With thousands of earthquakes each year, Japan is well-equipped to prepare for natural disasters, although most of these quakes are too small to cause physical disruption.
