Eastern Asia
What tectonic plate is Japan on?
Japan spans 3 tectonic plates: the Okhotsk Plate (55%), the Amur Plate (42%) and the Okinawa Plate (3.2%), plus slivers of the Philippine Sea Plate.
- Plates
- 4
- M6.5+ quakes since 1900
- 426
- Holocene volcanoes
- 109
- Land area
- 370,099 km²
Plates under Japan
Share of Japan's land area on each plate (PB2002 model, Natural Earth outlines).
Plate boundaries
10 plate boundaries run through or along Japan: the Pacific-Okhotsk boundary (convergent, about 8.7 cm/yr), the Okinawa-Philippine Sea boundary (convergent, about 10.3 cm/yr), the Amur-Philippine Sea boundary (convergent, about 5.0 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Philippine Sea boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr), the Philippine Sea-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 4.2 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Amur boundary (convergent, about 0.8 cm/yr), the Philippine Sea-Yangtze boundary (convergent, about 8.4 cm/yr), the Yangtze-Okinawa boundary (divergent, about 3.4 cm/yr), the Amur-Okinawa boundary (divergent, about 1.1 cm/yr) and the Amur-Yangtze boundary (transform, about 0.4 cm/yr).
- Pacific and Okhotsk: convergent, 8.7 cm/yr
- Okinawa and Philippine Sea: convergent, 10.3 cm/yr
- Amur and Philippine Sea: convergent, 5.0 cm/yr
- Okhotsk and Philippine Sea: convergent, 3.5 cm/yr
- Philippine Sea and Pacific: convergent, 4.2 cm/yr
- Okhotsk and Amur: convergent, 0.8 cm/yr
- Philippine Sea and Yangtze: convergent, 8.4 cm/yr
- Yangtze and Okinawa: divergent, 3.4 cm/yr
- Amur and Okinawa: divergent, 1.1 cm/yr
- Amur and Yangtze: transform, 0.4 cm/yr
The fastest of these is the Okinawa-Philippine Sea boundary, where the plates move about 10.3 cm/yr relative to each other. That is faster than fingernails grow.
Earthquakes in Japan
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 426 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off Japan since 1900, which ranks it 2 of 213 countries.
| Earthquake | Magnitude | Year | Depth | Plate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan | M9.1 | 2011 | 29 km | Okhotsk |
| Sanriku (Sanriku-oki) Earthquake, Japan | M8.4 | 1933 | 15 km | Pacific |
| Near Japan | M8.3 | 1946 | 15 km | Amur |
| Hokkaido Toho-oki Earthquake | M8.2 | 1969 | 29 km | Okhotsk |
| Near Japan | M8.0 | 1923 | 15 km | Okhotsk |
| 113 km ENE of Miyako, Japan | M8.0 | 1960 | 15 km | Okhotsk |
Volcanoes in Japan
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 109 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Japan, the 2nd most of any country.
- Suwanosejima Stratovolcano(es) · 796 m Last eruption 2026
- Aira Caldera · 1,117 m Last eruption 2026
- Akan Caldera · 1,499 m Last eruption 2026
- Kikai Caldera · 704 m Last eruption 2025
- Kirishimayama Shield · 1,700 m Last eruption 2025
- Ioto Caldera · 172 m Last eruption 2025
- Nishinoshima Caldera · 160 m Last eruption 2023
- Kaitoku Seamount Stratovolcano · -95 m Last eruption 2023
Frequently asked questions
What tectonic plate is Japan on?
Japan spans 3 tectonic plates: the Okhotsk Plate (55%), the Amur Plate (42%) and the Okinawa Plate (3.2%), plus slivers of the Philippine Sea Plate.
Is Japan on a plate boundary?
10 plate boundaries run through or along Japan: the Pacific-Okhotsk boundary (convergent, about 8.7 cm/yr), the Okinawa-Philippine Sea boundary (convergent, about 10.3 cm/yr), the Amur-Philippine Sea boundary (convergent, about 5.0 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Philippine Sea boundary (convergent, about 3.5 cm/yr), the Philippine Sea-Pacific boundary (convergent, about 4.2 cm/yr), the Okhotsk-Amur boundary (convergent, about 0.8 cm/yr), the Philippine Sea-Yangtze boundary (convergent, about 8.4 cm/yr), the Yangtze-Okinawa boundary (divergent, about 3.4 cm/yr), the Amur-Okinawa boundary (divergent, about 1.1 cm/yr) and the Amur-Yangtze boundary (transform, about 0.4 cm/yr).
Does Japan get earthquakes?
Japan is one of the most earthquake-prone countries on Earth. The USGS catalog lists 426 earthquakes of magnitude 6.5 or more in or just off Japan since 1900, which ranks it 2 of 213 countries. The largest was the M9.1 Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan in 2011.
Are there volcanoes in Japan?
The Smithsonian Global Volcanism Program lists 109 volcanoes active in the last 12,000 years in Japan, the 2nd most of any country.