Number of major earthquakes Japan 2011-2020

In 2020, Japan experienced four earthquakes of JMA magnitude of five or more. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) seismic intensity scale categorizes the intensity of earthquakes. The scale measures how much ground-surface shaking takes place at the measured sites. The scale is divided into ten steps, with higher values representing a higher intensity of the earthquake.

Earthquakes in Japan

In recent years, Japan ranked among the countries with the most natural disasters. Since the archipelago is situated along the Ring of Fire, an area where several tectonic plates meet, it is vulnerable to natural disasters such as earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Furthermore, its oceanic setting makes the country vulnerable to tsunamis when an earthquake occurs below or near the ocean. Therefore, the Japanese government spends a large amount of the disaster risk management budget on disaster prevention. The country invests in disaster prevention systems such as earthquake alert systems in mobile phones, emergency facilities, evacuation centers, as well as earthquake-resistant buildings, which are designed to move with the quake.

The triple disaster in 2011

The highest cost of damage caused by natural disasters, as well as the highest number of people killed by natural disasters in Japan, was recorded in 2011, when the Great East Japan Earthquake, also referred to as the Tohoku earthquake, took place. Japan recorded over 30 earthquakes of category five or more on the JMA seismic scale in the same year, many of which were aftershocks of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The damage caused by surging water from the resulting tsunami was more destructive than the earthquake itself, as it destroyed many Japanese cities and led to the death of over 15 thousand people. Furthermore, it caused meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Fukushima prefecture.