In brief
A 5.4‑magnitude quake hit near the east coast of Japan’s Honshu island at 15:07 GMT on Oct 29, 2026. German research center GFZ pinpointed its epicenter at a depth of 49.4 km, while Japan’s meteorological agency initially logged a magnitude 5.4 or 5.5, with shaking felt across Chiba and surrounding prefectures. No tsunami threat was issued.
A 5.4‑magnitude earthquake struck the near east coast of Honshu island, Japan, at 15:07 GMT on Wednesday, Oct 29, 2026, according to Xinhua reporting for the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ).
GFZ identified the epicenter at a depth of 49.4 km and coordinates 35.67° N, 140.59° E, noting the event as a modest but notable seismic occurrence for the region.
Japan’s Meteorological Agency, cited in a Kyodo News report, initially listed a preliminary magnitude of 5.5, later revised to 5.4, with a depth of roughly 52 km and a seismic intensity of lower 5 on the Japanese scale.
Eyewitness accounts reported across Chiba Prefecture and neighboring prefectures—Tokyo, Tochigi, Ibaraki, and Saitama—describe shaking that reached a lower 5 reading in Yokoshibahikari, while weaker vibrations were noted elsewhere, according to the Kyodo coverage.
The event prompted an automated earthquake alert from the Japan Meteorological Agency on Oct 29 at 12:07 a.m., which recorded the quake’s epicenter in Chiba Prefecture at 35.7° N, 140.7° E, a depth of 50 km, and a preliminary magnitude of 5.4; it issued no tsunami warning.
Both GFZ and the Japan Meteorological Agency confirmed that no tsunami threat was associated with the seismic event, and no official warning was released to the public.
