Earthquake Japan today - deep M6.5 (M7.0 JMA) near the Bonin Islands, Oct 25 2026

Deep M6.5 earthquake near the Bonin Islands, Japan - October 25, 2026

On Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 02:09 UTC (11:09 a.m. in Japan), a strong earthquake hit beneath the ocean west of the Bonin Islands, also known as Ogasawara. The USGS puts it at magnitude 6.5, while the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) measured 7.0. The quake was very deep, roughly 470-490 km down, and the JMA said straight away there was no tsunami threat.

Marcin FierkaPublished: October 25, 2026

What we know

The epicentre was at sea at 27.80° N, 139.62° E - around 270 km west of Chichijima and about 900 km south of Tokyo. The USGS estimate is M6.5, the JMA’s M7.0; agencies often disagree a little on deep events. The key number is depth: 492 km according to the USGS, around 470 km according to the JMA.

No tsunami, no damage reported

A quake this deep barely moves the seafloor, so it doesn’t generate a tsunami. The JMA confirmed that in its first bulletin. The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert, meaning a low likelihood of losses, and there were no reports of injuries or damage by Sunday morning.

Felt hundreds of kilometres away

The shaking pattern was unusual. The strongest shaking - intensity 3 on the Japanese scale - hit Chichijima and Hahajima, but people in Kanto and Tohoku also felt weak tremors, as far north as Miyagi and Aomori. Japanese seismologists call this an “abnormal seismic intensity zone”: waves race along the Pacific plate as it dives beneath Japan.

Deep quakes rarely produce strong aftershocks, but you can follow any new activity on our live map.

FAQ

What time was the Bonin Islands earthquake in US and UK time?

It struck at 02:09 UTC on Sunday, October 25, 2026. That was 02:09 GMT in the UK (clocks went back that night), 10:09 p.m. EDT and 7:09 p.m. PDT on Saturday, October 24, and 11:09 a.m. in Japan.

Is there a tsunami warning after the Japan earthquake?

No. The JMA said there was no tsunami risk because the quake was so deep. The tsunami flag in USGS data only marks a strong quake in an ocean region - it is not a warning in itself.

Why was a quake so far south felt in Tokyo?

Deep quakes often do this. The seismic waves travel north along the sinking Pacific plate, so weak shaking (JMA intensity 1-2) reached the Kanto and Tohoku regions. The strongest shaking, intensity 3, was on Chichijima and Hahajima.