List of disasters in Japan by death toll

This is a list of Japanese disasters by their death toll. Included in the list are disasters both natural and man-made, but it excludes acts of war and epidemics. The disasters occurred in Japan and its territories or involved a significant number of Japanese citizens in a specific event, where the loss of life was 30 or more.

Deaths Name or description Type of disaster Date Location Notes
105,385[1] 1923 Great Kantō earthquake Earthquake and Tsunami 1 Sep 1923 Kantō Plains, Honshu Deadliest disaster in Japanese history. The Japanese government report in 1927 put the number of victims at 140,000; this was adjusted downwards to 105,385 deaths in 2006.
21,959 (Official) 1896 Sanriku earthquake Earthquake and Tsunami 15 June 1896 Offshore Tōhoku region, Hawaii Maximum 38 meters of the tsunami in Iwate Prefecture, and 9 meters reached the Hawaiian coastline
19,113(Official confirmed) 1828 North Kyushu Typhoon Typhoon and Tidal wave 17 Sep 1828 Northern Kyushu Island According to official confirmed report, at the time of passing, the estimated central pressure was 935hPa, with a maximum wind speed 198 kilometres (123 mi). A storm surge occurred in the Ariake Sea, and Hakata Bay. The official death toll was 19,113, and injures were 18,625. The heaviest damage occurred at Saga, Omura, Yanagawa, and Fukuoka. This is the worst storm hit in Japanese history.
15,897[2] Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami Earthquake and Tsunami 11 Mar 2011 72 km east of Oshika Peninsula, Tōhoku[3] Magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami reaching 128 feet (39 meters), causing the level-7 nuclear meltdown of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Costliest natural disaster in recorded world history, estimated at up to $235 billion by the World Bank. 18,297 dead, 2,533 missing and 6,157 injured confirmed by Japanese National Police Agency on 8 March 2019.
15,000+ Great Unzen disaster Eruption, Earthquake, and Tsunami 21 May 1792 Mount Unzen, Kyūshū A major eruption at Mt Unzen triggered an earthquake, causing Unzen's east flank to collapse, triggering a tsunami in the Ariake Sea.
13,000+ 1771 Great Yaeyama Tsunami Earthquake and Tsunami 24 Apr 1771 Ishigaki Island and Miyako Island
7,273 Mino–Owari earthquake Earthquake 28 Oct 1891 Mino Province and Owari Province
7,000+ Great Ansei earthquake Earthquake 11 Nov 1855 Tokyo Also known as the great Edo earthquake.
6,434 Great Hanshin earthquake Earthquake 17 Jan 1995 Awaji Island, near Kobe Also known as the Kobe earthquake.
5,098 Typhoon Vera Typhoon and tidal surge 26 Sep 1959 mainly, Ise Bay, Aichi Prefecture and Mie Prefecture Also known as the Ise Bay Typhoon.
3,769 1948 Fukui earthquake Earthquake 28 Jun 1948 Fukui Prefecture The earthquake occurred on a strike-slip fault that was previously unknown until this event.
3,756 1945 Makurazaki typhoon Typhoon and tidal surge 17 Sep 1945 mainly, Kyushu Island, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, Ehime Prefecture Also known as the 1945 Typhoon Ida.
3,036 1934 Muroto typhoon Typhoon and tidal surge 21 Sep 1934 Osaka Bay Area, Kyoto
3,000+ 1933 Sanriku earthquake Earthquake and Tsunami 2 Mar 1933 Offshore Tōhoku region, Hawaii Tsunami waves of 2.9 meters reached the Hawaiian coastline and caused minor damage.
2,925 1927 Kita Tango earthquake Earthquake 7 Mar 1927 Kyoto Prefecture
2,306 1945 Mikawa earthquake Earthquake 13 Jan 1945 Aichi Prefecture As the earthquake occurred during World War II, information about the disaster was censored, hampering relief efforts and contributing to a high death toll.[4]
2,166 1934 Hakodate fire City Fire 21 Mar 1934 Hakodate, Hokkaido One of the worst city fires in Japan.
1,992(Official Confirmed) 1884 August typhoons Typhoon and tidal surge 26 Aug 1884 Mainly, Inland Sea area (Okayama Prefecture, Ehime Prefecture and Hiroshima Prefecture), According to Japanese Government official report, resulting death toll of 1,992, mainly 722 death in Okayama, 345 in Ehime and 131 in Hiroshima.
1,930 1947 Typhoon Kathleen Typhoon and floods 16 Sep 1947 Around Tone River area (Gunma Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture and Tochigi Prefecture), Tokyo, Ichinoseki
1,761 1954 Typhoon Marie Typhoon and city fire 26 Sep 1954 Hakodate, and Iwanai, Hokkaido Also known as the 1954 Tōyamaru Typhoon, with heavy damage in Tōya Maru, Seikan Maru 11, Hidaka Maru, Tokachi Maru and Kitami Maru, and all of Aomori. The Japan National Railway Hakodate-route Ferry is capsized. It caused the Great Fire in Iwanai.
1,496(Official confirmed) 1889 August Typhoon Typhoon, landslide, floods 21 Aug 1889 Kii Peninsula, Nara Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture Many rivers flooded in Wakayama Prefecture, which caused many houses to collapse and be lost in many places in Kii Peninsula, with flooding in Kinokawa, Wakayama, In Totsukawa basin, it was continued by a record heavy rain in 19 to 21 August 1889, and large-scale landslides in 1107 places occurred, many river channels were blocked by sediment, causing 53 natural dams. According to Japanese Government confirmed report, 1,496 persons fatalities in disaster area, include 1,221 in Wakayama, 168 in Totsukawa.
1,269 1958 Typhoon Ida Typhoon and landslide 27 Sep 1958 Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka Prefecture Also known as the 1958 Kano River Typhoon.
1,151(Official) 1783 eruption of Mount Asama Eruption 5 Aug 1783 Nagano Prefecture, Gunma Prefecture Worst death toll of volcano in Japan
1,086 1943 Tottori earthquake Earthquake 10 Sep 1943 Tottori prefecture Although the earthquake occurred during World War II, information about the disaster was not censored.
1,015(Official) 1953 Wakayama Flood Heavy rain, landslide, and flood 18 Jul 1953 Kii Peninsula, Wakayama Prefecture Collapse of the dikes occurred in many rivers causing flooding
1,001(Official) 1953 North Kyushu Flood Heavy Rain, Landslide and Flood 20 Jun 1953 Kyushu Island, mainly, Kumamoto and Kitakyushu Outburst and flooding of the dikes occurred in many rivers
992(Official) 1957 Isahaya flood Heavy Rain, Landslide and Flood 26 Jul 1957 Nagasaki Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture
943(Official) 1951 Typhoon Ruth Heavy Rain, Tidal wave, Landslide and Flood 16 Oct 1951 Kyushu Island, Yamaguchi Prefecture
941(Official) 1868 Iruka Lake collapse Heavy Rain, Embankment collapse 12 May 1868 Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture Embankment of Lake Iruka collapsed under the influence of heavy rain. This natural disaster was a catastrophe causing 941 deaths and 807 houses washed out.
715(Official) 1938 Great Hanshin flood Heavy Rain, Landslide and Flood 5 Jul 1938 Around Mount Rokkō area, Hyōgo Prefecture
687(Official) 1914 Hojo coal mine explosion Mining explosion 14 Dec 1914 Fukuchi, Fukuoka Prefecture Worst coal mine and industrial disaster in Japan
621(Official) Kawachi Ship wreck, Explosion 12 Jul 1918 Tokuyama Bay, Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture The battle Shipo capsized by the explosion of a powder keg.
567(Official) 1899 Beshi mine landslide Landslide, Heavy rain 28 Aug 1889 Niihama, Ehime Prefecture
520 Japan Airlines Flight 123 Air incident 12 Aug 1985 Mount Takamagahara Of the 524 people on board, only 4 survived. It is the deadliest single-aircraft accident in history.
477(Official) 1888 eruption of Mount Bandai Eruption 15 Jul 1888 Fukushima Prefecture
464(Official) Tarumizu Maru 6 Ship wreck 6 Feb 1944 Kagoshima Bay, Tarumizu, Kagoshima Prefecture This ship was over-capacity and sank while trying to change direction, throwing off the ship's balance.
458 Miike coal mine explosion Mine explosion 9 Nov 1963 Miike Coal Mine, Fukuoka Prefecture
447(Official) 1972 Western Japan heavy rain Heavy rain, Landslide, Floods. 13 Jul 1972 mainly, Amakusa, Kōchi Prefecture and Aichi Prefecture Landslide in Amakusa, Kyushu Island, Tosayamada, Shikoku Island and many sites
440(Official) 1807 Eidai bridge collapse by a stampede Stampede 20 Sep 1807 Edo, (Present day of Tokyo) In Fukagawa-Tomioka Hachiman shrine, the bridge, dating from 1795, collapsed under the weight of festival-goers, one of the worst panic accidents in Japan. According to an unofficial source report, many more persons went missing.
426 1858 Hietsu earthquake Earthquake 9 Apr 1858 Gifu Prefecture
375(Official) 1936 Osarizawa mine failure Heavy rain, Dam failure 20 Nov 1936 Kazuno, Akita Prefecture The incident occurred due to flooding caused by heavy rainfall. Mudflow downriver buried numerous towns. Tenement housing of many of the miners were caught in the mudflow, along with a theater, representative office, and farmers.
322(Official) 1982 Nagasaki flood Heavy rain, Landslide 20 Jul 1982 Nagasaki Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture Throughout the Nagasaki area, following rainfall observed at 100 to 187 mm a per hour, as well as landslides throughout the area. According to the Japanese government report, 299 people died in Nagasaki Prefecture, along with 23 in Kumamoto Prefecture
304(Official) Sekirei Maru Shipwreck 20 Dec 1945 Akashi Strait, Hyōgo Prefecture An Awaji Island to Akashi route boat was overturned by heavy winds. Although fishing boats operating in the vicinity rescued 45 people, the captain of the doomed ship refused to rescue, resulting in the deaths of 304 people.
264 China Airlines Flight 140 Air incident 26 Apr 1994 Nagoya, Japan Of the 271 people on board, 7 survived.
230 1993 Hokkaidō earthquake Earthquake and Tsunami 11 Jul 1993 58 km west of Hokkaidō, Sea of Japan
225 2018 Japan floods Heavy Rain, Floods, Mudslide 28 Jun 2018 - 9 Jul 2018 Shikoku Western Honshu Deadliest floods since the 1982 Nagasaki floods, more than 8 million were evacuated across 23 prefectures and 13 people reported missing
208(Official) 1943 Hoteiza Theatre fire Fire 6 Mar 1943 Kucchan, Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō Fire at a consolation film screening during a memorial ceremony.
199 Hakkōda Mountains incident Mountaineering incident 23 Jan 1902 Hakkōda Mountains The 199 deaths during a single ascent make it the world's deadliest mountaineering disaster in the modern history of mountain climbing.
191(Official) 1940 Ajikawaguchi derailment Train wreck 29 Jan 1940 Ajikawaguchi Station, Osaka A three-car commuter train derailment, followed by a fire.
184 Hachikō Line derailment Train wreck 25 Feb 1947 Saitama Prefecture Cause was excessive speed.
162 Tsurumi rail accident Train wreck 9 Nov 1963 Tōkaidō Main Line Cause was track problems.
160 Mikawashima train crash Train wreck 3 May 1962 Mikawashima Station Caused by a train missing a danger signal. Involved one freight train and two passenger trains.
155 1918 Mitsumata avalanche Avalanche 9 Jan 1918 Mitsumata (now Yuzawa), Niigata Prefecture The worst avalanche accident in Japan
154(Official confirmed) 1918 Otori mine avalanche Avalanche 20 Jan 1918 Asahi (now Tsuruoka), Yamagata Prefecture A heavy snowstorm causing a massive avalanche with 11 buildings collapsed, including the school, worker dormitory, and is the second-largest avalanche accident in Japanese history.
147(Official) 1945 Futamata tunnel explosion Explosion 12 Nov 1945 Soeda, Fukuoka Prefecture A large explosion that happened while the US Army was handling a cache of gunpowder hidden by the Japanese Imperial Army, blowing off the whole depot and a large number of private houses in the mountain area.
144(Official) 1926 eruption of Mount Tokachi Eruption 24 May 1926 Central Ishikari Mountains, Hokkaido
141 Typhoon Ewiniar Typhoon 29 Jun 2006 Ryūkyū Islands
133 All Nippon Airways Flight 60 Air incident 4 Feb 1966 Tokyo Bay No survivors.
129 Tachikawa air disaster Air incident 18 Jun 1953 Tachikawa No survivors.
126(Official) 1956 Yahiko shrine stampede Stampede 1 Jan 1956 Yahiko, Niigata Prefecture Second worst stampede disaster in Japan.
124 BOAC Flight 911 Air incident 5 Mar 1966 Mount Fuji No survivors.
118(Official) Sennichi Department Store Building fire Fire 13 May 1972 Chūō-ku, Osaka An electrical worker caused the incident by mismanagement of a cigarette or a match.
107 Amagasaki rail crash Train wreck 25 April 2005 Amagasaki, Hyōgo Cause was excessive speed on a curve arising from harsh penalties for being late.
106 Sakuragichō train fire Train wreck 24 April 1951 Sakuragichō Station Cause was a lack of electrical maintenance, sparking a fire.
105 Typhoon Haikui Typhoon 1 Aug 2012 Ryūkyū Islands
104(Official) 1968 Hida river bus plunge Road accident 18 Aug 1968 Japan National Route 41, Gero, Gifu Prefecture Two charter buses en route to Nagoya plunged into the Hida River amid heavy rain and landslides. Worst road accident in Japan and Northeast Asia.
104(Official) 1973 Taiyo Department Store fire Fire 29 Nov 1973 Kumamoto, Kyushu Island
94(Official) 1939 Hirakata Explosion Explosion 1 Mar 1939 Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture The Japanese Imperial Army's ammunition depot caught fire causing large explosions of loaded shells. A total of 29 explosions occurred in the course of a single day, with the fire caused by the explosions lasting until March 3. The explosion sounds echoed between Osaka and Kyoto.
84(Official) 1924 Otaru Explosion Explosion 27 Dec 1924 Otaru, Hokkaido A cargo ship laden with about 1,000 boxes of explosives docked in Otaru on December 26, 1924. A fire broke out while the cargo was being unloaded, setting off about 600 boxes and caused a large explosion in Otaru Port.
79(Official) 1970 Osaka Gas Explosion Explosion 8 Apr 1970 Kita-ku, Osaka Gas explosion occurred in the construction site of Osaka Municipal Subway.
74 2014 Hiroshima landslides Landslide 20 Aug 2014 Hiroshima Prefecture
68 Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63 Air incident 3 Jul 1971 Yokotsudake No survivors.
59 Typhoon Bolaven Typhoon 19 Aug 2012 Ryūkyū Islands
56[5] 2014 Mount Ontake eruption Eruption 27 Sep 2014 Mount Ontake, Honshu Volcano thought to be dormant.
54 Typhoon Chataan Typhoon 27 Jun 2002 Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, east coast of Japan Of the 54 deaths, 6 were in Japan.
50 All Nippon Airways Flight 533 Air incident 13 Nov 1966 Seto Inland Sea No survivors.
44 Myojo 56 building fire Fire 1 Sep 2001 Kabukicho section of Shinjuku, Tokyo
41[6] 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake Earthquake 6 Sep 2018 Hokkaido, primarily in Atsuma town
40 2004 Chūetsu earthquake Earthquake 23 Oct 2004 Niigata Prefecture
36 2019 Kyoto Animation Fire Arson 18 Jul 2019 Kyoto At least 36 people were killed,[7][8] with 36 others injured and hospitalized.[9] It is reported to be the worst confirmed mass-murder incident in Japan's post-war history[10] and the worst building fire in Japan's history since the Myojo 56 building fire in 2001.
30 Tsuyama massacre Spree killing 21 May 1938 Rural village of Kaio in Okayama Prefecture

See also

References
  1. Hammer, Joshua. "The Great Japan Earthquake of 1923". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  2. National Police Agency of Japan (June 10, 2019). "Police Countermeasures and Damage Situation associated with 2011 Tohoku district - off the Pacific Ocean Earthquake" (PDF). npa.go.jp. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  3. Oskin, Becky; September 13, Contributing Writer |; ET, 2017 04:11pm. "Japan Earthquake & Tsunami of 2011: Facts and Information". Live Science. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  4. Taniguchi et al. 1988, p. 378
  5. "Three more bodies found on Japan volcano". ABC News. 2014-10-04. Retrieved 2019-06-25.
  6. Theresa Waldrop; Yoko Wakatsuki; Chie Kobayashi. "Japan earthquake: Death toll rises after devastating tremor". CNN. Retrieved 2018-09-15.
  7. "京アニ放火殺人、死者35人に". Kyodo News. 2019-07-27. Archived from the original on 27 July 2019. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  8. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (2019-10-04). "Female Victim of Kyoto Animation Fire Passes Away, Bringing Death Toll to 36". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  9. At least 33 dead in suspected arson attack on Japanese animation studio
  10. "Kyoto Animation studio fire: at least 25 dead after arson attack in Japan". The Guardian. 2019-07-18. Archived from the original on 2019-07-18. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
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