The were a series of
earthquake
An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...
s,
including a magnitude 7.0
mainshock
In seismology, the mainshock is the largest earthquake in a sequence, sometimes preceded by one or more foreshocks, and almost always followed by many aftershocks.
Foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic ev ...
which struck at 01:25
JST on April 16, 2016 (16:25
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
on April 15) beneath
Kumamoto City
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,000, ...
of
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture t ...
in
Kyushu Region
is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional ...
,
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, at a depth of about , and a
foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic eventthe mainshockand is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequenc ...
earthquake with a magnitude 6.2 at 21:26
JST (12:26
UTC
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...
) on April 14, 2016, at a depth of about .
In total, the two earthquakes killed 277 people
and injured 2,809 others, a majority of them indirectly,
This earthquake sequence was the deadliest in Japan since the
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
On 11 March 2011, at 14:46:24 Japan Standard Time, JST (05:46:24 UTC), a 9.0–9.1 Submarine earthquake, undersea megathrust earthquake occurred in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region. It lasted approx ...
, until the
2024 Noto earthquake
On 1 January 2024, at 16:10 Japan Standard Time, JST (07:10 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC), a 7.6 (7.5) earthquake struck north-northeast of Suzu, Ishikawa, Suzu, located on the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. The Fault (geolog ...
. Of these, 50 deaths were directly caused by the earthquake, 218 were
caused by aggravation of injuries from the earthquake or aggravation of illnesses during evacuation, and 5 of the deaths caused by the heavy rains from June 19–25 were related to the earthquake.
Severe damage occurred in Kumamoto and
Ōita Prefectures, with numerous structures collapsing and catching fire. More than 44,000 people were evacuated from their homes due to the disaster.
Tectonic setting
Kumamoto Prefecture lies at the southern end of the
Japan Median Tectonic Line
, also Median Tectonic Line (MTL), is Japan's longest Fault (geology), fault system. The MTL begins near Ibaraki Prefecture, where it connects with the Itoigawa-Shizuoka Tectonic Line (ISTL) and the Fossa Magna. It runs parallel to Japan's volcan ...
, Japan's longest, where a system of active faults forks in two directions at the Beppu-Haneyama Fault Zone. Specifically, the series of quakes ruptured the 81-km-long Hinagu Fault and 64-km-long Futagawa Fault to its north, as well as lesser but discernable interaction with the farther flung Beppu-Haneyama Fault Zone.
A 27-km section of the Futagawa Fault Zone slid 3.5 meters.
[asia.nikkei.com/Features/Kyushu-earthquakes/Unusual-quake-cluster-worries-Japan] The earthquakes are occurring along the
Beppu–Shimabara graben, with epicentres moving from west to east over time.
Around 08:30 local time on April 16,
Mount Aso
or Aso Volcano is the largest active volcano in Japan and among the largest in the world. Common use relates often only to the somma volcano in the centre of Aso Caldera. It stands in Aso Kujū National Park in Kumamoto Prefecture, on the i ...
saw a small-scale
eruption
A volcanic eruption occurs when material is expelled from a volcanic vent or fissure. Several types of volcanic eruptions have been distinguished by volcanologists. These are often named after famous volcanoes where that type of behavior has ...
with ash billowing into the air; the eruption was not related to the earthquake.
Mount Aso had already been active since before the earthquakes, being under a Level 2 warning from the JMA since November 24, 2015.
Earthquakes
April 14 foreshock
Although the focus of the
foreshock
A foreshock is an earthquake that occurs before a larger seismic eventthe mainshockand is related to it in both time and space. The designation of an earthquake as ''foreshock'', ''mainshock'' or aftershock is only possible after the full sequenc ...
earthquake was beneath
Mount Kinpo to the north-northwest of
Kumamoto
is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a populat ...
's city center, the worst-hit area was in the eastern Kumamoto suburb of
Mashiki
is a town located in Kamimashiki District, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 34,118 in 14750 households, and a population density of 520 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Kumamoto Airport is lo ...
, where the foreshock earthquake's victims perished. The earthquake was strongly felt as far north as
Shimonoseki
file:141122 Shimonoseki City Hall Yamaguchi pref Japan01s3.jpg, 260px, Shimonoseki city hall
is a Cities of Japan, city located in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 248,193 in 128,762 households and a pop ...
on southwestern
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
, and as far south as the
Kirishima in
Kagoshima Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu and the Ryukyu Islands. Kagoshima Prefecture has a population of 1,527,019 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 9,187 Square kilometre, km2 (3,547 Square m ...
. In the following hours, there were at least 11
aftershock
In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in Epicenter, the same area of the Mainshock, main shock, caused as the displaced Crust (geology), crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthq ...
s of at least 4.5 magnitude, one of which was a magnitude 6;
more than 140 aftershocks were registered within two days.
It was the first earthquake to occur on the island of Kyushu to register as a 7 on the
Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) Seismic Intensity Scale (known in Japan as the Shindo seismic scale) is a seismic intensity scale used in Japan to categorize the intensity of local ground shaking caused by earthquakes.
The JMA intensit ...
.
On April 15, the JMA officially labelled it ' (, "
Heisei
The was the period of Japanese history corresponding to the reign of Emperor Akihito from 8 January 1989 until his abdication on 30 April 2019. The Heisei era started on 8 January 1989, the day after the death of the Emperor Hirohito, when hi ...
28 Kumamoto Earthquake")–Heisei 28 being the year 2016 on the
Japanese calendar
Japanese calendar types have included a range of official and unofficial systems. At present, Japan uses the Gregorian calendar together with year designations stating the Japanese era name, year of the reign of the current Emperor. The written f ...
.
April 16 mainshock
At 01:25
JST on April 16 (16:25 UTC, April 15), a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, under
Higashi Ward of Kumamoto City, occurred as the result of
strike-slip
In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...
faulting at shallow depth.
Significant additional damage occurred in those areas of
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture t ...
recovering from the April 14 earthquake, with strong tremors and damage also recorded as far east as
Beppu
270px, Beppu City Hall
is a city in Ōita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. As of November 30, 2023, the city had a population of 113,045 in 62,702 households, and a population density of 900 persons per km2. The total area of the ci ...
in
Ōita Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Ōita Prefecture has a population of 1,081,646 (1 February 2025) and has a geographic area of 6,340 km2 (2,448 sq mi). Ōita Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northwest, K ...
. It was also felt as far away as
Busan
Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...
, with an intensity of
MMI III.
A
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
advisory was issued at 01:27
JST for areas along the
Ariake Sea
The is a body of salt water surrounded by Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, and Kumamoto Prefectures, all of which lie on the island of Kyūshū in Japan. It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 50 meters (165 ft) deep, and ext ...
and
Yatsushiro Sea
The , also called the , is a shallow semi-enclosed inland sea separating the island of Kyūshū from the Amakusa Islands. It lies mostly within Kumamoto Prefecture and at the southern end of the sea it also borders Kagoshima Prefecture. To the n ...
, with the wave height forecast at ,
but was lifted less than an hour later at 02:14
JST.
Aftershocks
The following is a list of major
aftershock
In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in Epicenter, the same area of the Mainshock, main shock, caused as the displaced Crust (geology), crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthq ...
s that have occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture since April 14, 2016.
Damage and casualties
April 14 foreshock
At least nine people died and 1,108 more were injured by the April 14 foreshock.
The roof and exterior walls of
Kumamoto Castle
is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well-fortified castle. The is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but a number of ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original ca ...
sustained damage. The castle's ''
shachihoko
A – or simply – is a sea monster in Japanese folklore with the head of a dragon or tiger or lion and the body of a carp covered entirely in black or grey scales.Joya. ''Japan and Things Japanese.'' Taylor and Francis, 2017;2016;, Accordi ...
'' were also destroyed. Service on the
Kyushu Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima (Kagoshima-Chuo Sta ...
was suspended after a train derailed. The foreshock displaced an estimated 44,000 people and collapsed at least 19 homes. Merchandaise were knocked off shelves in stores. Fires broke out and landslides severely damaged roads.
April 16 mainshock
At least 277 people were killed and 2,809 others were injured by the mainshock, including many indirectly.
Of these, 50 deaths were directly caused by the earthquake, 218 were
caused by aggravation of injuries from the earthquake or aggravation of illnesses during evacuation, and 5 of the deaths caused by the heavy rains from June 19–25 were related to the earthquake.
Across
Kumamoto Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Kumamoto Prefecture has a population of 1,748,134 () and has a geographic area of . Kumamoto Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the north, Ōita Prefecture t ...
, 8,657 houses were completely destroyed, 34,491 were partially destroyed and 155,095 others, as well as 467 public buildings and 12,857 structures of unspecified use, were damaged, including 270 houses which were affected by flooding. Three people were killed and 34 others were injured in
Oita Prefecture
Oita often refers to:
* Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan
*Ōita (city), the capital of the prefecture
Oita or Ōita may also refer to:
Places
* Ōita District, Ōita, a former district in Ōita Prefecture, Japan
*Ōita Stadium, a multi-use stadi ...
, where 10 houses collapsed, 222 were severely damaged and 8,110 others were partially damaged. In
Fukuoka Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Fukuoka Prefecture has a population of 5,109,323 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,986 Square kilometre, km2 (1,925 sq mi). Fukuoka Prefecture borders ...
, 17 people were injured and 255 houses were damaged, four of them severely, while 13 people were injured and one house was damaged in
Saga Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. Saga Prefecture has a population of roughly 780,000 and has a geographic area of . Saga Prefecture borders Fukuoka Prefecture to the northeast and Nagasaki Prefect ...
. Eight people were injured and 41 houses were damaged in
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...
, two of them severely, with damage also recorded in
Yamaguchi and
Nagasaki Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan, mainly located on the island of Kyūshū, although it also includes a number of islands off Kyūshū's northwest coast - including Tsushima and Iki. Nagasaki Prefecture has a population of 1,246,4 ...
s.
As a result of the mainshock, the entirety of Kumamoto city was left without water.
All residents of
Nishihara Village in Kumamoto Prefecture were evacuated over fears that a nearby dam could collapse.
Kumamoto Airport
, also known as , is an airport in Mashiki, Kumamoto, Japan.
History
The first Kumamoto Airport opened in 1960 on the site of a former Imperial Japanese Army air base and had a 1,200 m runway. It was replaced by the current Kumamoto Airport in ...
was also closed to all but emergency flights, and service on the
Kyushu Shinkansen
The is a Japanese Shinkansen high-speed railway network. It is an extension of the San'yō Shinkansen from Honshu connecting the city of Fukuoka (Hakata Station) in the north of Japan's Kyushu Island to the city of Kagoshima (Kagoshima-Chuo Sta ...
was suspended after a train derailed due to the earthquake. Numerous structures collapsed or caught fire as a result of the earthquake. Government officials estimated more than 1,000 buildings had been seriously damaged, with 90 destroyed.
A 500-bed hospital in Kumamoto City was knocked off its foundations, forcing the evacuation of all patients,
and a
natural gas leak
A methane leak is a significant natural gas leak. The term is used for a class of methane emissions, which can come from an industrial facility or pipeline.
Satellite data enables the identification of super-emitter events (synonymous with ultra ...
prompted
Saibu Gas to turn off supplies to multiple homes in the city.
Numerous landslides took place across the mountains of Kyushu, rendering roads impassable,
The of the
Japan National Route 325 in
Minamiaso collapsed into the Kurokawa river.
A rockslide blocked the entirety of the four-lane expressway close to the fallen bridge, leaving a large scar that ran almost completely up the hill that suffered the rockslide.
The
Aso Shrine
is a Jinja (shrine), Shinto Shrine in Aso, Kumamoto, Aso, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan.Richard Ponsonby-Fane, Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1962). ''Studies in Shinto and Shrines,'' p. 477; Kotodamaya.com"Aso Jinja" retrieved 2012-10-29. Aso is one of ...
was also heavily damaged in the earthquake. The shrine's ''
rōmon
The is one of two types of two-storied gates used in Japan (the other one being the '' nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and S ...
'' (tower gate), officially classified as an
Important Cultural Property by the Japanese government, and the ''
haiden'' (worshiping hall) both completely collapsed.
Kumamoto Castle
is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well-fortified castle. The is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but a number of ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original ca ...
, another Important Cultural Property sustained damage to its roof and exterior buildings and walls because of the earthquakes and associated aftershocks. Several of the castle's ''
shachihoko
A – or simply – is a sea monster in Japanese folklore with the head of a dragon or tiger or lion and the body of a carp covered entirely in black or grey scales.Joya. ''Japan and Things Japanese.'' Taylor and Francis, 2017;2016;, Accordi ...
'' ornaments were destroyed, and a large number of ''kawara'' tiles also fell from the roof. Other historical buildings such as Janes' Residence, the first western-style house built in Kumamoto (dating from 1871) were also totally destroyed. The former registered Cultural Asset was initially located in the grounds of Kumamoto Castle, but was later relocated near
Suizen-ji Jōju-en
is a '' tsukiyama'' Japanese garden located within in the eastern part of the city of Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan. It was built during the Edo period by the Hosokawa clan, the ''daimyō'' of Kumamoto Domain. It is commonly known as ...
.
Early estimates of the economic costs of the damage range from $5.5 billion to $7.5 billion, with insured property losses estimated to be between $800 million to $1.2 billion, according to Risk Management Solutions or between $1.7 billion to $2.9 billion, according to
Guy Carpenter. Through the first half of 2016, about $3.2 billion of claims for damage to residential dwellings were paid out by insurance companies, according to data from the General Insurance Association of Japan.
Aftermath
Kumamoto Prefectural Police received more than 300 calls, while Ōita Prefectural Police took 100 calls. More than 91,700 people were evacuated. An additional 15,000 soldiers from the Japan Self-Defense Forces joined relief efforts following the earthquake. By April 16, more than 44,000 people were evacuated from the hardest-hit areas.
Prime Minister
A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
Shinzō Abe
Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving pri ...
mobilized 3,000 personnel of the
Japan Self-Defense Forces
The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...
to assist local authorities with search and rescue and recovery efforts.
By April 18, the number of people seeking shelter had risen to 180,000, while at least eight people remained missing in a landslide caused by the earthquake.
Gallery
File:The Aso-Ohashi bridge fallen by a landslip of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes.JPG, The Great Aso Bridge in Minamiaso collapsed into the Kurokawa River due to a landslide
File:2016 Kumamoto earthquake Kumamoto Castle 4.JPG, The north-west Inui Turret and wall of Kumamoto Castle
is a hilltop Japanese castle located in Chūō-ku, Kumamoto, in Kumamoto Prefecture. It was a large and well-fortified castle. The is a concrete reconstruction built in 1960, but a number of ancillary wooden buildings remain of the original ca ...
.
File:2016 Kumamoto earthquake Mr. Janes's residence 1.JPG, The ruins of the historic Janes' Residence
File:2016 Kumamoto earthquake Sunlive Kengun.JPG, The damaged Sunlive Kengun in the pedestrian arcade in downtown Kumamoto.
See also
*
1889 Kumamoto earthquake
The 1889 Kumamoto earthquake occurred at 23:40 JST (14:40 UTC) on 28 July in the western part of Kumamoto, Japan. It was also called the Kinpozan earthquake (or Kinbozan earthquake, since its epicenter was the southern-eastern foot of Mount Kinp ...
*
List of earthquakes in 2016
This is a list of earthquakes in 2016. Only earthquakes of magnitude 6 or above are included, unless they result in damage and/or casualties, or are notable for some other reason. All dates are listed according to UTC time. Maximum intensities a ...
*
List of earthquakes in Japan
This is a list of earthquakes in Japan with either a magnitude greater than or equal to 7.0 or which caused significant damage or casualties. As indicated below, magnitude is measured on the Richter scale (''ML'') or the moment magnitude scale ('' ...
References
Notes
Citations
External links
The 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake –Portal–
Japan Meteorological Agency
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA; ''気象庁, Kishō-chō'') is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the Scientific, scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered ...
Magnitude 6.2 Earthquake in Japan–
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on Mar ...
Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake in Japan– United States Geological Survey
Earthquake and Volcano Information – 15th April, 2016 Earthquake in Kumamoto prefecture–
Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo
Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo (ERI; 東京大学地震研究所 ''Tokyo Daigaku Jishin Kenkyu-jo'') is an institute in affiliation with University of Tokyo. Many fellows research on various topics about Seismology and volcano ...
*
{{Authority control
2016 earthquakes
April 2016 in Japan
Earthquakes of the Heisei era
Earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture
Kumamoto
Earthquake clusters, swarms, and sequences
Landslides in Japan
Shindo 7 earthquakes
2016 disasters in Japan
Strike-slip earthquakes