Earthquake in the Kumamoto Region, Kumamoto Prefecture on March 18
The place name of the epicenter used by the JMA's information released was the "Amakusa-Ashikita region, Kumamoto Prefecture."
On March 18, 2025, at 05:00 a.m., an M4.8 earthquake (maximum seismic intensity 4) occurred at a depth of 10 km in the Kumamoto region, Kumamoto Prefecture. This earthquake occurred within the earth's crust. The focal mechanism revealed a tension axis trending in the north-south direction.
A review of seismic activity since October 2000 shows that the epicenter of this earthquake (Area a) was near that of the "2016 Kumamoto Earthquakes." This earthquake resulted in 273 fatalities in Kumamoto Prefecture, 3 in Oita Prefecture, and caused various other damages (data are from Kumamoto Prefecture as of December 13, 2024; other data are from the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as of April 12, 2019). Additionally, recent seismic activity in Area b includes the occurrence of an M4.7 earthquake on May 31, 2024 (13 km depth, maximum seismic intensity 4).
A review of seismic activity since 1885 shows that M5.0 earthquakes or greater have occasionally occurred near the epicenter of the current earthquake (Area c). Notably, an M6.3 earthquake that struck on July 28, 1889, resulted in 19 fatalities and the destruction of 234 houses in Kumamoto Prefecture (damage data sourced from the "Materials for Comprehensive List of Destructive Earthquakes in Japan").
Japan Meteorological Agency
[Evaluation of Seismic Activities for March 2025 (April 9, 2025)]