An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 occurred in the afternoon on Tuesday, December 30th, 2025, at 5:12 pm local time near Isen, Ōshima-gun, Kagoshima-ken, Japan, as reported by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a shallow depth of 26. km. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.A second report was later issued by France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS), which listed it as a magnitude 5.1 earthquake. Other agencies reporting the same quake include the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake at magnitude 5.3, and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) at magnitude 5.3.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc. In Isen (pop. 6,600) located 18 km from the epicenter, Amagi (pop. 6,400) 26 km away, Wadomari (pop. 6,900) 29 km away, Tokuwase (pop. 10,100) 30 km away, and China (pop. 6,000) 37 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.Weak shaking might have been felt in Seisui (pop. 8,500) located 80 km from the epicenter, Naze (pop. 41,400) 109 km away, and Amami (pop. 41,400) 111 km away.VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.Earthquake data: Date & time: Dec 30, 2025 05:12 pm (GMT +9) local time (30 Dec 2025 08:12 GMT)Magnitude: 5.3Depth: 26.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 27.62°N / 128.76°E (Kagoshima-ken, Japan)Primary data source: EMSC