An earthquake of magnitude 6.3 occurred only 8 minutes ago 41 km east of Kesennuma, Japan, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.The quake hit at a moderately shallow depth of 44. km beneath the epicenter near Kesennuma, Kesennuma Shi, Miyagi, Japan, in the evening on Friday, May 15th, 2026, at 8:22 pm local time. 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.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should have been widely felt by almost everyone in the area of the epicenter. It might have caused light to moderate damage. Moderate shaking probably occurred in Kesennuma (pop. 61,100) located 41 km from the epicenter.In Oshu (pop. 112,900) located 79 km from the epicenter, Ichinoseki (pop. 114,500) 79 km away, Mizusawa (pop. 61,300) 82 km away, Ishinomaki (pop. 140,200) 88 km away, Kitakami (pop. 93,000) 89 km away, Hanamaki (pop. 94,700) 94 km away, and Morioka (pop. 290,700) 114 km away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.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: May 15, 2026 11:22 am (Universal Time) local time (15 May 2026 11:22 GMT)Magnitude: 6.2Depth: 44.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 38.99°N / 141.93°E (Ōfunato-shi, Iwate, Japan)Primary data source: EMSC