Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Strikes Central Japan, Injuring at Least 20, With No Tsunami Threat

A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck western Shizuoka Prefecture in central Japan at 1:04 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The Japan Meteorological Agency put the depth at about 40 to 41 kilometres. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 5.5. There was no threat of a tsunami, and no tsunami warning was issued, Kyodo News reported.

The shaking was strongest in Chita, Aichi Prefecture, where it registered upper 5 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale. It was the first jolt of that strength observed in Aichi since March 1997. Parts of Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu and Nagano prefectures registered lower 5. Smaller aftershocks followed, and the meteorological agency warned people to brace for possible strong quakes in the coming week, above all in the next two to three days.

At least 20 injured, no deaths reported

Kyodo News reported that at least 20 people were injured in Aichi Prefecture. Local media reports carried by Arab News put the injured count at at least 22 across Aichi and Shizuoka. Many of the injuries came from falls or happened as people fled buildings. Store windows were shattered. No widespread structural collapses had been reported, and no deaths were reported in any source checked on Sunday morning.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed the upper 5 shaking in Chita City and said there is no tsunami risk. The central government set up a liaison office at the Crisis Management Centre of the Prime Minister's Office to handle the response.

Agency urges care near slopes and rocks

At a news conference after the quake, Japan Meteorological Agency official Ebita Ayataka told residents in areas that shook strongly to watch for further tremors and rain, because both raise the risk of falling rocks and landslides. He said the tremor was believed to be different from a feared Nankai Trough megaquake, even though it struck inside the projected epicentre area of that larger feared event.

The quake struck in the middle of the night, when most people were home asleep. That timing, and the lack of structural collapse in early reports, kept the injury count low for a tremor of this strength so close to the surface cities of the Chita Peninsula. Officials said counts could still change as hospitals and local governments finish their checks.