M5.0 earthquake near Hokuto, Hokkaido

What happened

A magnitude 5 earthquake struck 34 km SW of Hakodate, Japan on 22 Dec 2022, 16:39 UTC at a depth of 11 km.

Earthquakes of this size are classed as Moderate. Can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre. This was a shallow earthquake, which tends to be felt more strongly at the surface.

The nearest town in our records is Hokuto, about 35 km away in Hokkaido, Japan.