History of Japan Earthquakes
http://www.historyguy.com/japan_earthquake_history.htm
Japan is a densely-populated island nation in the northwest Pacific and is a part of the “Ring of Fire” chain of earthquake-prone Pacific Rim. As a result, the Japanese people have endured massive earthquakes throughout their history. Japan is so quake-prone, that minor earthquakes are an almost monthly aspect of life for the Japanese. However, several times in the past hundred years or so, Japan suffers through powerful earthquakes that cause massive amounts of destruction and result in thousands of deaths.
On March, 2011, a huge earthquake measuring around 8.9 to 9.0 on the Richter scale hit off the coast of the Japanese city of Sendai. In addition to destruction on the ground, the quake also triggered a powerful tsunami that hit Japan hard. As of March 13, 2011, full casualty figures are not complete, but the death toll is in the thousands, with millions of people without power, and at least two nuclear plants in the throes of possible meltdown.
Below is a list of the most destructive Japanese earthquakes since the late 1800s.
Japanese Earthquakes since 1891
Sendai, Japan (March 11, 2011)–Magnitude 8.9/9.0 –Fatalities in the thousands, full casualty numbers are not yet available
Kobe, Japan (Jan. 16, 1995)- Magnitude 6.9 –Fatalities 5,502
Niigata, Japan (June 6, 1964)- Magnitude 7.5 –Fatalities 26
Fukui, Japan (June 28, 1948) – Magnitude 7.3 –Fatalities 3,769
Nankaido, Japan (Dec. 20, 1946)- Magnitude 8.1 –Fatalities 1,330
Mikawa, Japan (January 12, 1945)- Magnitude 7.1 –Fatalities 1,961
Tonankai, Japan (December 7, 1944) – Magnitude 8.1 –Fatalities 1,223
Tottori, Japan (Sept. 10, 1943)-Magnitude 7.4 –Fatalities 1,190
Sanriku, Japan (March 2, 1933)- Magnitude 8.4 –Fatalities 2,990
Tango, Japan (March 7, 1927)- Magnitude 7.6 –Fatalities 3,020
Kanto, Japan (Sept. 1, 1923) – Magnitude 7.9 –Fatalities 143,000
Sanriku, Japan (June 15, 1896)- Magnitude 8.5 –Fatalities 27,000
Mino-Owari, Japan (Oct. 27, 1891)-Magnitude 8.0 –Fatalities 7,273