M5.9 earthquake near Yoichi, Hokkaido

What happened

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 84 km NW of Yoichi, Japan on 12 Jan 2021, 02:39 UTC at a depth of 214 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was an intermediate-depth earthquake, so shaking is spread over a wider, gentler area.

The nearest town in our records is Yoichi, about 84 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.