USGS · September 26, 2026

Magnitude 4.7 earthquake near Chabana, Japan

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake was recorded near 36 km ENE of Kunigami, Japan on Sep 26, 2026, 04:14 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC+9), at a depth of about 14.1 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-26 20:18 UTC

The full record

Magnitude
M 4.7 · body-wave magnitude
Location
36 km ENE of Kunigami, Japan
Local time at the epicentre
Sep 26, 2026, 04:14 AM — UTC+9
Time (UTC)
2026-09-25 19:14 UTC
Depth
14.1 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates
26.840, 128.517
Felt reports
No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami
No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance
340 / 1000 · notable event
Solution quality
43 seismic stations used · 82° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status
Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog
USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 5,115 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 779,732 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

PlaceDistancePopulation
Chabana25.2 km NNW5,115
Kunigami36.3 km WSW4,908
Ōgimi42.6 km WSW3,092
Taira43.1 km WSW1,683
Tsuha46.6 km WSW17,969
China55.1 km N5,976
Nakijin57.1 km WSW8,894
Iheya57.4 km WNW1,214
Nago58.4 km WSW63,554
Izena58.7 km W1,518

Earthquake history in this area

11 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5+ have been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in Japan.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

3 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 36 km ENE of Kunigami, Japan earthquake?

Magnitude 4.7 (body-wave magnitude), at a depth of 14.1 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Sep 26, 2026, 04:14 AM (local time at the epicentre — UTC+9). In universal time: 2026-09-25 19:14 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Chabana, 25.2 km NNW (population 5,115).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

Yes. The largest earthquake recorded within 200 km since 1960 was magnitude 7.0 (70 km SE of Katsuren-haebaru, Japan, 2010), and 3 further events were recorded within 100 km in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.