A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck central Japan shortly after 1 a.m. local time on Sunday, 8 November 2026, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The epicentre was in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture, at a depth of about 41 kilometres. The US Geological Survey reported the magnitude as 5.5.
The strongest shaking — upper 5 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale of zero to seven — was recorded in Chita City, Aichi Prefecture. It was the first time jolts of that strength had been observed in Aichi since March 1997. Shaking of lower 5 was recorded in parts of Aichi, Shizuoka, Gifu and Nagano prefectures.
At least 20 people were injured in Aichi Prefecture, authorities said. In Tokoname City, a woman in her 50s was taken to hospital with a fractured ankle after falling while evacuating. In Toyota City, a man in his 40s and a woman in her 80s fell and hit their heads; both were taken to hospital and were conscious. Water supplies were cut off in parts of Higashiura Town, where officials also reported water gushing from manholes.
The JMA said there was no threat of a tsunami. At a news conference after the quake, agency official Ebita Ayataka said residents in areas hit by strong tremors should remain alert for further seismic activity and rain, warning of a growing risk of falling rocks and landslides, and said people should be on alert for quakes of around upper 5 intensity for about a week.
Asked about a possible link to the feared Nankai Trough megaquake, Ayataka said the tremor occurred in the projected epicentre area but was believed to be different from the anticipated massive earthquake, and that the agency would continue to monitor seismic activity closely.
The government set up a liaison office to coordinate its response to the earthquake.
Source: NHK World-Japan (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/news/20261108de72261/)
