Hokkaido quake underscores Japan’s constant seismic threat on Ring of Fire Last updated: April 27, 2026 | 02:58 Shutterstock A strong earthquake rattled Japan's northern island of Hokkaido early Monday (April 27, 2026), US and Japanese meteorological agencies reported, the latest in a series of powerful tremors to hit the island nation. The 6.1 magnitude quake struck shortly before 5:30 am (2130 GMT Sunday) in Hokkaido's southern region, at a depth of some 80 kilometres (50 miles), the Japanese Meteorological Agency and the US Geological Survey both reported. No tsunami alert No tsunami alert was issued, and USGS predicted that damage to property and threat to life was minimal, given the limited population in the region some 200 kilometres east of Sapporo. But "in areas that experienced strong shaking, the danger of falling rocks and landslides has increased," a JMA official told reporters. Hours earlier a magnitude 5.0 earthquake occurred in the sea a few hundred kilometers south of Hokkaido.…