Magnitude 5.7 quake strikes central Japan, at least 22 injured in Aichi and Shizuoka

Overnight quake and wide shaking

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan at 1:04 a.m. local time on Sunday, 8 November 2026, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The epicentre lay in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture, roughly 40 kilometres below the surface, and no tsunami was triggered. The United States Geological Survey put the magnitude at 5.5 for the same event. The highest reading was upper 5 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, the fourth-highest level, logged in Chita, a city in Aichi Prefecture. Lower 5 readings were recorded in Seto and Ena, the latter in Gifu Prefecture, and in Hamamatsu, a city in Shizuoka.

Japan Meteorological Agency5.7

USGS5.5

Japan Meteorological Agency

5.7

USGS

5.5

Data from the article text

The shaking was felt across a broad area, including Kyoto, Nara, Yamanashi (where Mount Fuji is located) and Gifu. People in Tokyo reported feeling nothing. Several weaker aftershocks followed the main quake.

Injuries and damage

Japanese media reported at least 22 people injured, a count that replaced an earlier report of dozens. Aichi's fire department and the prefectural government put the figure at at least 20, none of them seriously hurt, according to Kyodo. Shizuoka Prefecture separately reported three injured people, aged between 30 and 90, in a statement on its website. Some of the injured were hurt while fleeing, including people who fell on stairs. Television footage showed broken shop windows and glass scattered across the streets, while books fell from the shelves of a bookshop.

Transport and the Hamaoka nuclear plant

Some local train services were suspended, and the operator said bullet trains between Shizuoka and Gifu-Hashima ran with delays while safety checks were carried out. Shinkansen services in the affected areas slowed as a precaution. Chubu Electric Power said it had detected no anomalies at the Hamaoka nuclear plant in Shizuoka, about 200 kilometres southwest of Tokyo. Italian broadcaster Rai noted that the plant sits near the Nankai Trough, the area where a potential mega-earthquake is expected to occur.

Regional background

Czech public broadcaster ČT24 described Japan as one of the most seismically active regions in the world, where earthquakes are common. It recalled that the largest tremors in the country's recorded history struck in March 2011, producing a tsunami of up to 20 metres in places. Official statistics put the death toll from that disaster at 15,880, with almost 2,700 people still missing. The tsunami also caused an accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant, which released significant radiation.

What remains unclear

The articles do not give a final tally of injuries or damage, and the injury counts differ by source and by the time each was published. The magnitude estimates also differ between agencies, with the Japan Meteorological Agency giving 5.7 and the USGS 5.5. Authorities have not yet reported any further change in the situation at the nuclear plant beyond the absence of anomalies.