1983 Sea of Japan earthquake
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| Date | May 26, 1983 |
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| Magnitude | 7.8 Mw |
| Depth | 24 km |
| Epicenter | 40°27′43″N 139°06′07″E / 40.462°N 139.102°ECoordinates: 40°27′43″N 139°06′07″E / 40.462°N 139.102°E |
| Areas affected | Japan, Aomori Prefecture, Akita Prefecture |
| Max. intensity | Shindo V / VIII (Severe) |
| Tsunami | yes |
| Casualties | 104 dead or missing (324 injured) |
The 1983 Sea of Japan earthquake or 1983 Nihonkai-Chubu earthquake occurred on May 26, at 11:59:57 local time (02:59:59.6 UTC), It had a magnitude of 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale. It occurred in the Sea of Japan, about 100 km west of the coast of Noshiro in Akita Prefecture, Japan. Out of the 104 fatalities, all but four were killed by the resulting tsunami, which struck communities along the coast, especially Aomori and Akita Prefectures and the east coast of Noto Peninsula. Images of the tsunami hitting the fishing harbor of Wajima on Noto Peninsula was broadcast on TV. The waves exceeded 10 meters (33 ft) in some areas. Three of the fatalities were along the east coast of South Korea (whether North Korea was affected is not known). The tsunami also hit Okushiri Island, the site of a more deadly tsunami 10 years later.
The northwestern side of Honshu lies on the southeastern margin of the Sea of Japan, an area of oceanic crust created by back-arc spreading from the late Oligocene to middle Miocene. The extensional tectonics associated with the spreading formed a series of N-S trending extensional faults and associated basins. Currently the area is being deformed by contractional tectonics, causing inversion of these earlier basins, forming anticlinal structures. It has been suggested that the northwestern coast of Honshu represents an incipient subduction zone, but there remain significant uncertainties about the existence of the Okhotsk Plate and the nature and precise location of its boundary in the Sea of Japan, if it does exist.
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