Japan has over 100 active volcanoes, more than almost any other country and accounts alone for about 10% of all active volcanoes in the world. The volcanoes belong to the Pacific Ring of Fire, caused by subduction zones of the Pacific plate beneath continental and other oceanic plates along its margins.
Date | Volcano | VEI | Region | Deaths | Damage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sakurajima Minamidake summit crater | 2 | Kyushu, Japan | ||||
Suwanose-jima O-take | 2 | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | ||||
Kikai | ? | Japan | ||||
Iwo-jima | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Nishino-shima Central cone of 2013 island | 2 | Volcano Islands, Japan | ||||
Kaitoku | 0 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Iwo-jima Off SE coast | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Kita-Ioto Funka-Asane | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Iwo-jima Off SE coast | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Aso | 2 | central Kyushu, Japan | ||||
Fukutoku-Okanoba | 4 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Nishino-shima Central cone of 2013 island | 2 | Volcano Islands, Japan | ||||
Iwo-jima Asodai Sinkhole | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Kikai | 1 | Japan | ||||
Kuchinoerabu-jima | 1 | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | ||||
Nishino-shima Central cone of 2013 island | 1 | Volcano Islands, Japan | ||||
Aso | 2 | central Kyushu, Japan | ||||
Kuchinoerabu-jima | 3 | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | ||||
Kikai | 1 | Japan | ||||
Kikai | 2 | Japan | ||||
Asama | 2 | Honshu (Japan) | ||||
Kuchinoerabu-jima Shindake Crater | 3 | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | ||||
Nishino-shima Central cone of 2013 island | 1 | Volcano Islands, Japan | ||||
Kirishima Shinmoedake | 3 | Kyushu (Japan) | ||||
Kusatsu-Shirane Motoshiranesan | 1 | Honshu (Japan) | ||||
Kusatsu-Shirane | 1 | Honshu (Japan) | 1 | light | Info | |
Kirishima Shinmoedake | 2 | Kyushu (Japan) | ||||
Nishino-shima Central cone of 2013 island | 2 | Volcano Islands, Japan | ||||
Aso Nakadake Crater | 3 | central Kyushu, Japan | ||||
2016 Oct 8 (eruption | Aso | 0 | central Kyushu, Japan | light | Info | |
Iwo-jima Asodai Sinkhole | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Sakurajima Minami-dake and east flank (Showa crater) | 3 | Kyushu, Japan | ||||
Aso Naka-dake | 2 | central Kyushu, Japan | ||||
Nishino-shima Vent SSE of existing Nishinoshima | 2 | Volcano Islands, Japan | ||||
Iwo-jima Kianohana Beach (N part of the island) | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Hakone Owakudani hot springs, 1 km N of Kamiyama dome | 1 | Honshu (Japan) | ||||
Asama Summit crater | 1 | Honshu (Japan) | ||||
Kuchinoerabu-jima Shindake crater | 3 | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | ||||
Ontake-san Summit crater | 3 | Honshu (Japan) | ||||
2014 Sep 27 (eruption | Ontake-san | 3 | Honshu (Japan) | 55 | Info | |
Kuchinoerabu-jima Shindake | 1 | Ryukyu Islands (Japan) | ||||
Aso Naka-dake | 1 | central Kyushu, Japan | ||||
Kikai Iodake | 1 | Japan | ||||
Iwo-jima Asodai | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Iwo-jima Asodai | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) | ||||
Kirishima Shinmoe-dake | 3 | Kyushu (Japan) | ||||
Aso Naka-dake | 1 | central Kyushu, Japan | ||||
2011 Jan 28 (eruption | Kirishima | 0 | Kyushu (Japan) | light | Info | |
Miyake-shima Summit crater | 1 | Izu Islands (Japan) | ||||
Kirishima Shinmoe-dake | 1 | Kyushu (Japan) | ||||
Fukutoku-Okanoba Submarine site | 1 | Volcano Islands (Japan) |
The last volcanic eruption in Japan was from Kikai volcano in 2024.
The first historically documented eruption occurred around 654 AD from Oshima volcano.
Since 654 AD, Japan has seen at least 953 historically documented eruptions. This means that a volcano erupts on average every 1.4 years.
Japan is volcanically extremely active: Since 1900, at least 47 volcanoes in Japan have been active. Every year, at least one volcano has been in eruption in Japan. The last volcano to erupt in Japan was Kikai volcano, which erupted in 2024, 11 months ago.
The largest eruption in Japan in historic times was from Shikotsu volcano. It occurred in 1739. It ranks as a plinian eruption with a magnitude 5 on the VEI (Volcanic Explosivity Index) scale. Eruption of this size are often catastrophic on a regional scale.
Date and Time | Mag / Depth | Nearest Volcano / Location | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sep 30, 02:28 am (GMT +9) | 4.6 10 km | 287 km (178 mi) E of | 219 km ESE of Onagawa Chō, Japan I FELT IT | Info | |
Sunday, September 28, 2025 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
Sep 28, 05:04 pm (GMT +10) | 4.6 103 km | 236 km (147 mi) E of | Japan: Far E Off Izu Islands I FELT IT | Info | |
Saturday, September 27, 2025 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
Sep 27, 10:37 pm (GMT +9) | 4.8 10 km | 320 km (199 mi) E of | 251 km ESE of Onagawa Chō, Japan I FELT IT | Info | |
Friday, September 26, 2025 GMT (1 quake) | |||||
Sep 26, 07:34 pm (GMT +9) | 4.6 10 km | 317 km (197 mi) E of | 230 km ESE of Onagawa Chō, Japan I FELT IT | Info | |
Thursday, September 25, 2025 GMT (2 quakes) | |||||
Sep 26, 02:01 am (GMT +9) | 4.6 10 km | 53 km (33 mi) S of | Izu Islands, Japan Region I FELT IT | Info | |
Sep 25, 09:14 am (GMT +9) | 4.6 10 km | 317 km (197 mi) E of | 248 km ESE of Onagawa Chō, Japan I FELT IT | Info |
Date | Mag | Region | Deaths | Damage | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 Jan 1 | 7.5 | Honshu Ishikawa![]() | 463 | catastrophic | Info |
2016 Apr 15 | 7.0 | Kumamoto, Oita![]() | 273 | catastrophic | Info |
2011 Mar 11 | 9.1 | Honshu![]() | 18,428 | catastrophic | Info |
1995 Jan 16 | 6.9 | Sw Honshu Kobe, Awaji-shima, Nishinomiya![]() | 6,434 | catastrophic | Info |
1993 Jul 12 | 7.7 | Hokkaido; Russia Southeast; South Korea![]() | 231 | catastrophic | Info |
1983 May 26 | 7.7 | Honshu Akita![]() | 104 | very heavy | Info |
1982 Mar 21 | 6.7 | Hokkaido, Urakawa, Hiroo![]() | 110 | light | Info |
1958 Mar 11 | 7.5 | Ryukyu Islands![]() | 50-100 (*) | unknown | Info |
1948 Jun 28 | 7.3 | Fukui![]() | 5,131 | catastrophic | Info |
1946 Dec 20 | 8.3 | Honshu S Coast![]() | 1,362 | very heavy | Info |
1945 Jan 12 | 7.1 | Honshu S![]() | 2,306 | very heavy | Info |
1944 Dec 7 | 8.1 | Off Southeast Coast Kii Peninsula![]() | 1,223 | heavy | Info |
1943 Sep 10 | 7.4 | Honshu S![]() | 1,400 | very heavy | Info |
1933 Mar 2 | 8.4 | Sanriku![]() | 3,022 | very heavy | Info |
1930 Nov 25 | 7.1 | Honshu Idu![]() | 259 | very heavy | Info |
1927 Mar 7 | 7.3 | Honshu Sw![]() | 3,022 | heavy | Info |
1925 May 23 | 6.8 | Honshu Tajima![]() | 395 | very heavy | Info |
1923 Sep 1 | 7.9 | Tokyo, Yokohama![]() | 142,807 | very heavy | Info |
1914 Mar 15 | 7.2 | Senhoku![]() | 94 | heavy | Info |
The deadliest earthquake in Japan since 1900 was the magnitude 7.9 earthquake in Japan, Kanagawa on Sep, 1, 1923. It resulted in 142,807 fatalities and 47,000 injured people. Most of earthquake damage resulted from the tsunami that followed the quake. The height of the tsunami waves reached 13 m (43 ft). This was the 11th deadliest quake known in history and the most disastrous quake in Japan ever recorded.
The earthquake that caused most damage was the magnitude 9.1 earthquake in Japan on Mar, 11, 2011. It caused 18,428 fatalities and estimated $220 billion US Dollars (today's equivalent) in total economic damage.
Since 1900, at least 79 earthquakes claimed an estimated total of 190,000 fatalities in Japan.
There were 141 damaging or deadly quakes during this period that caused economic losses of approx. $432 billion US Dollars combined.