• Increased seismicity at Mount Ontake, Alert Level raised, Japan

    Increased seismicity detected under Mount Ontake this week forced the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) to raise the volcano's Alert Level from 1 to 2 — the highest since August 21, 2017. The last eruption of this volcano took place in 2014. It was a powerful…

  • Record-shattering heavy snow hits parts of Japan

    Heavy snow has been falling over Japan over the weekend, with some areas receiving record-breaking amounts. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the snow was brought by a wintry pressure pattern combined with cold air mass. All-time 24-hour snowfall records…

  • Strong M6.4 earthquake hits Shikoku, Japan

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.4 hit Shikoku, Japan at 16:08 UTC on January 21, 2022. The agency is reporting a depth of 40 km (24.8 miles). EMSC and USGS are reporting M6.3 at a depth of 41.8 km (26 miles). The epicenter was located…

  • Strong M6.0 earthquake hits Ryukyu Islands, Japan

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.0 hit the Ryukyu Islands, Japan at 02:05 UTC on December 9, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 20 km (12.4 miles). The USGS is reporting it as M6.0 at a depth of 17 km (10 miles); EMSC M5.9 at a depth…

  • Strong and shallow M6.6 earthquake hits Izu Islands, Japan

    A strong and shallow earthquake registered by the JMA as M6.6 hit Izu Islands region, Japan at 12:40 UTC (21:40 JST) on November 29, 2021. The agency is reporting a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles). The USGS is reporting M6.3 at a depth of 6.1 km (3.8 miles); EMSC M6.4 at…

  • Record sea-effect snow in northern Japan

    A potent storm system is moving over the Sea of Japan bringing heavy sea-effect snow to parts of Japan, and in some areas breaking all-time 24-hour snowfall records. Shumarinai recorded 77 cm (30 inches) of snow over the past 24 hours, setting its new all-time…