Earthquake in Eastern Shimane Prefecture on January 6


At 10:18 on January 6, 2026, an M6.4 earthquake (maximum seismic intensity 5 Upper, ① in the figure) occurred in eastern Shimane Prefecture at a depth of 11 km. This occurred in the crust. The focal mechanism solution (CMT solution) shows a strike-slip fault type with a pressure axis oriented in the WNW-ESE direction. At 16:43 on January 5, an M3.0 earthquake (maximum seismic intensity 1) occurred near the epicenter, and a few hours later at 18:42, an M3.3 earthquake (maximum seismic intensity 2) occurred.
Furthermore, following the M6.4 earthquake, earthquakes with M5.0 or greater occurred, including an M5.1 event at 10:28 on January 6 (maximum seismic intensity 5 Lower, ② in the figure) and an M5.5 event at 10:37 on the same day (maximum seismic intensity 4, ③ in the figure). From January 6 to 31, 58 earthquakes with seismic intensity 1 or greater were recorded (1 event with seismic intensity 5 Upper, 1 event with seismic intensity 5 Lower, 1 event with seismic intensity 4, 6 events with seismic intensity 3, 16 events with seismic intensity 2, and 33 events with seismic intensity 1). This event caused 15 injuries and partial damage to 114 houses (as of 17:00, January 14, 2026, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency).
A review of seismic activity since October 1997 reveals that the epicenter (Area a) is located within that of the 2000 Western Tottori Prefecture Earthquake. This earthquake resulted in 182 injuries and the destruction of 435 homes (according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency).
A review of seismic activity since 1919 reveals that approximately M6.0 earthquakes have often occurred near the epicenter (Area b). This includes the M7.2 earthquake on September 10, 1943 (Tottori Earthquake, maximum seismic intensity 6), which resulted in 1,083 deaths and the destruction of 7,485 homes (according to the "Materials for Comprehensive List of Destructive Earthquakes in Japan").


Japan Meteorological Agency
[Evaluation of Seismic Activities for January 2026 (February 10, 2026)]