A strong and deep earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit the Bonin Islands, Japan region at 02:09 UTC (11:09 LT) on October 25, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 492.4 km (306 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.5 the same magnitude and depth.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued an erroneous M9.9 earthquake early warning across large parts of Japan on October 16, 2026, following an actual M6.9 earthquake near Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula. The warning was issued at 03:40 UTC, triggering the automatic suspension of Tokaido Shinkansen services before being withdrawn approximately eight minutes later. JMA apologized and began investigating the magnitude estimation error.
Rainfall on Oshima reached 600 mm (23.6 inches) in the 24 hours ending at 14:00 LT (05:00 UTC) on September 21, 2026, as Typhoon Dujuan passed the Izu Islands and approached eastern Japan. The record September rainfall prompted a Level 5 landslide special warning, while flooding, landslides and transport disruption affected parts of the Kanto region.
Nagoya recorded 104.5 mm (4.1 inches) of rain in one hour on September 8, 2026, setting an all-time station record as flooding disrupted roads and rail services. Nagoya City issued Level 5 Emergency Safety Measures for communities along the Kanare, Yada and Ueda rivers, while the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism issued a Level 5 flood special warning for the Shonai River system at 18:20 LT (09:20 UTC). The municipal Level 5 measures were downgraded at 22:25 LT (13:25 UTC), while local media reported four injuries across Aichi Prefecture.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued Level 5 Emergency Warnings for landslides in Niijima Village, Oshima Town and Toshima Village in Tokyo’s Izu Islands on September 7, 2026, after 24-hour rainfall totals broke records at multiple stations. Niijima recorded 485 mm (19.1 inches), while the main Oshima station received 581.5 mm (22.9 inches), its highest September total on record. Separately, Iwaki City in Fukushima Prefecture issued a citywide Level 4 Evacuation Instruction and listed one death in its final disaster report, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA).
Record rainfall associated with Typhoon No. 24 and an autumn-rain front affected Yakushima Town, Kagoshima Prefecture, from September 4 to September 5, 2026, with 24-hour rainfall at Onoaida reaching 490.5 mm (19.31 inches) by 05:30 JST. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 Landslide Disaster Special Warning at 05:10 before replacing it with a Level 4 warning at 11:30, while authorities reported landslides, water outages affecting as many as 289 households, and large amounts of driftwood at Miyanoura Port.
A strong M6.0 earthquake registered by the USGS hit the Hokkaido region, Japan, at 13:44 UTC on August 23, 2026. The agency is reporting a depth of 43 km (27 miles). EMSC is reporting the same magnitude and depth.
Eight people were confirmed dead after record rainfall caused widespread flooding across Chiba Prefecture, Japan, on August 13 and 14, 2026, according to prefectural and municipal authorities. At 06:00 LT on August 14, 7 359 people were sheltering at 359 sites in 39 municipalities, while emergency and evacuation measures remained in force.
Typhoon Dolphin re-intensified while passing close to northwestern Okinawa on August 7, 2026, leaving at least five people injured, five homes partially damaged and 16 920 households without power. China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) said the typhoon could strengthen further before making landfall between Zhejiang and northern Fujian from the afternoon of August 9 to the morning of August 10, with eastern Zhejiang potentially receiving more than 600 mm (23.6 inches) of rain through August 10.
Typhoon Dolphin reintensified into a Category 4 equivalent typhoon northeast of Iwo To in Ogasawara, Japan, on August 4, 2026, after completing its fourth eyewall replacement cycle. The system is moving westwards and is forecast to cross the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, and make landfall on Okinawa by August 7.
