M5.9 earthquake near Yakumo, Hokkaido

What happened

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 19 km NE of Otobe, Japan on 9 Mar 2026, 15:45 UTC at a depth of 144 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 Yakumo, about 19 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.