List of disasters in Japan by death toll

Ever wondered how many people died because of natural disasters in Japan? Is it cause for concern? Does it kill more than crimes and accidents in Brazil? Today we are going to see a list of disasters in Japan with death toll.

The list below includes any natural disaster, whether earthquake, tsunami, landslide, fire, virtually any natural disaster and some man-made situations, except acts of war and epidemics.

List of disasters in Japan by number of deaths

List of Disasters in Japan

The list is organized by number of deaths. It is estimated that more than 250,000 people died in the incidents below over a period greater than 100 years. The earthquake that killed the most people happened a century ago, where Japan was unprepared.

It may seem like a lot, but it shows that Japan is safe, since in Brazil this number is reached in less than half a decade with reckless murders and accidents. I like to make it clear that the person doesn't need to be afraid!

Responsive Table: Scroll the table sideways with your finger >>
deathsDisasterTypeDatePlace
105,385Great Kantō earthquake in 1923earthquake and tsunami1 Sep 1923Kantō Plains, Honshu
21.959 [OF]Sanriku earthquake in 1896earthquake and tsunami15 June 1896Offshore Tōhoku region, Hawaii
19.113 [OF]1828 Typhoon North of Kyushutyphoon and tidal wave17 Sep 1828Northern Kyushu Islands
15,897Tōhoku earthquake and tsunamiearthquake and tsunami11 Mar 201172 km a leste da Península de Oshika, Tōhoku
15,000Unzen's Great DisasterEruption, earthquake and tsunami21 May 1792Mount Unzen, Kyūshū
13,0001771 Great Tsunami of Yaeyamaearthquake and tsunami24 Apr 1771Ishigaki Isle and Miyako Islands
7,273Mino Earthquake – OwariEarthquake28 Oct 1891Mino Province and Owari Province
7,000Great Ansei earthquakeEarthquake11 Nov 1855Tokyo
6,434Great Hanshin EarthquakeEarthquake17 Jan 1995Awaji Island, near Kobe
5,098Typhoon Veratyphoon and tidal wave26 Sep 1959mainly, Ise Bay, Aichi and Mie
3,7691948 Fukui earthquakeEarthquake28 Jun 1948Fukui
3,7561945 Typhoon Makurazakityphoon and tidal wave17 Sep 1945mainly, Kyushu Island, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Ehime
3,0361934 Muroto typhoontyphoon and tidal wave21 Sep 1934Osaka Bay Area, Kyoto
3,0001933 Sanriku earthquakeearthquake and tsunami2 Mar 1933Offshore Tōhoku region, Hawaii
2,925Kita Tango earthquake in 1927Earthquake7 Mar 1927Kyoto
2,3061945 Mikawa earthquakeEarthquake13 Jan 1945Aichi
2,1661934 Hakodate fireCity Fire21 March 1934Hakodate, Hokkaido
1.992 [OF]1884 August typhoonstyphoon and tidal wave26 Aug 1884Okayama, Ehime and Hiroshima
1,9301947 Typhoon Kathleentyphoon and floods16 Sep 1947Tone River (Gunma, Saitama and Tochigi), Tokyo, Ichinoseki
1,7611954 Typhoon MarieTyphoon and fire in the city26 Sep 1954Hakodate, and Iwanai, Hokkaido
1.496 [OF]1889 August TyphoonTyphoon, landslide, floods21 Aug 1889Kii Peninsula, Nara, Wakayama
1,2691958 Typhoon IdaTyphoon and landslide27 Sep 1958Izu Peninsula, Shizuoka
1.151 [OF]1783 eruption of Mount AsamaEruption5 Aug 1783Nagano, Gunma
1,086Tottori earthquake in 1943Earthquake10 Sep 1943Tottori
1.015 [OF]1953 Wakayama FloodHeavy rain, landslide and flood18 Jul 1953Kii Peninsula, Wakayama
1.001 [OF]North Kyushu flood in 1953Heavy rain, landslide and flood20 Jun 1953Kyushu Island, mainly Kumamoto and Kitakyushu
992 [OF]Isahaya flood in 1957Heavy rain, landslide and flood26 Jul 1957Nagasaki, Kumamoto
943 [OF]1951 Typhoon RuthHeavy rain, Tsunami, landslide and flood16 Oct 1951Kyushu Island, Yamaguchi
941 [OF]1868 Collapse of Lake IrukaHeavy rain, embankment collapse12 May 1868Inuyama, Aichi
715 [OF]Great Hanshin Flood in 1938Heavy rain, landslide and flood5 Jul 1938Na região ao redor do Monte Rokkō, em Hyōgo.
687 [OF]1914 Hojo coal mine explosionmining explosion14 Dec 1914Fukuchi, Fukuoka
621 [OF]Kawachishipwreck, explosion12 Jul 1918Tokuyama Bay, Shunan, Yamaguchi
567 [OF]1899 Beshi Mines landslideLandslide, heavy rain28 Aug 1889Niihama, Ehime
520Japan Airlines Flight 123air incident12 Aug 1985Mount Takamagahara
477 [OF]1888 eruption of Mount BandaiEruption15 Jul 1888Fukushima
464 [OF]Tarumizu Maru 6ship wreckage6 Feb 1944Kagoshima Bay, Tarumizu, Kagoshima
458Miike coal mine explosionmine explosion9 Nov 1963Miike Coal Mine, Fukuoka
447 [OF]1972 Heavy rain in western JapanHeavy rain, landslide, flooding.13 Jul 1972mainly, Amakusa, Kōchi and Aichi
440 [OF]1807 Eidai Bridge collapse by stampedeStampede20 Sep 1807Edo (Tokyo)
4261858 Hietsu earthquakeEarthquake9 Apr 1858Gifu
375 [OF]1936 Osarizawa mine failureHeavy rain, dam failure20 Nov 1936Kazuno, Akita
322 [OF]1982 flood in NagasakiHeavy rain, landslide20 Jul 1982Nagasaki, Kumamoto
304 [OF]Sekirei Maruship wreckage20 Dec 1945Akashi Strait, Hyōgo
264China Airlines Flight 140air incident26 Apr 1994Nagoya, Japan
230Hokkaidō earthquake in 1993earthquake and tsunami11 Jul 199358 km west of Hokkaido, Sea of Japan
2252018 floods in JapanHeavy rain, flooding, landslide28 de junho de 2018 - 9 de julho de 2018Shikoku Western Honshu
208 [OF]1943 Fire at the Hoteiza TheaterFire6 Mar 1943Kucchan, Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaidō
199Incident in the Hakkōda Mountainsmountaineering incident23 Jan 1902Hakkōda Mountains
191[OF]1940 Ajikawaguchi derailmenttrain wreck29 Jan 1940Ajikawaguchi Station, Osaka
184Hachikō line derailmenttrain wreck25 Feb 1947Saitama
162Tsurumi rail accidenttrain wreck9 Nov 1963Tōkaidō Main Line
160Train accident in Mikawashimatrain wreck3 May 1962Mikawashima Station
155Mitsumata Avalanche in 1918Avalanche9 Jan 1918Mitsumata (now Yuzawa), Niigata
154 [OF]1918 - Otori mine avalancheAvalanche20 Jan 1918Asahi (now Tsuruoka), Yamagata
147 [OF]1945 Futamata tunnel explosionExplosion12 Nov 1945Soeda, Fukuoka
144 [OF]1926 eruption of Mount TokachiEruption24 May 1926Ishikari Mountains, Hokkaido
141Typhoon EwiniarTyphoon29 Jun 2006Ryukyu Islands
133All Nippon Airways Flight 60air incident4 Feb 1966Tokyo Bay
129Tachikawa air disasterair incident18 Jun 1953Tachikawa
126 [OF]1956 Yahiko Shrine StampedeStampede1 Jan 1956Yahiko, Niigata
124BOAC Flight 911air incident5 Mar 1966Mount Fuji
118 [OF]Sennichi Department Store Building FireFire13 May 1972Chūō-ku, Osaka
107Railway accident in Amagasakitrain wreck25 April 2005Amagasaki, Hyōgo
106Sakuragicho trains firetrain wreck24 April 1951Sakuragichō Station
105Typhoon HaikuiTyphoon1 Aug 2012Ryukyu Islands
104 [OF]1968 Hida river bus diveRoad accident18 Aug 1968Route 41, Gero, Gifu
104 [OF]1973 Taiyo department store fireFire29 Nov 1973Kumamoto, Kyushu Island
94 [OF]1939 Hirakata ExplosionExplosion1 Mar 1939Hirakata, Osaka
84 [OF]1924 Otaru ExplosionExplosion27 Dec 1924Otaru, Hokkaido
79 [OF]1970 Osaka Gas ExplosionExplosion8 Apr 1970Kita-ku, Osaka
742014 Hiroshima landslideslandslide20 Aug 2014Hiroshima
68Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63air incident3 Jul 1971Yokotsudake
59Typhoon BolavenTyphoon19 Aug 2012Ryukyu Islands
56Mount Ontake eruption in 2014Eruption27 Sep 2014Mount Ontake, Honshu
54Typhoon ChataanTyphoon27 Jun 2002Guam, Northern Mariana Islands
50All Nippon Airways Flight 533air incident13 Nov 1966Sea of Seto Island
44Myojo 56 fire buildingFire1 Sep 2001Kabukicho, uma seção de Shinjuku, Tóquio
41East Iburi Earthquake in Hokkaido in 2018Earthquake6 Sep 2018Hokkaido, Atsuma City
402004 Chūetsu earthquakeEarthquake23 Oct 2004Niigata
362019 Kyoto Animation FireArson18 Jul 2019Kyoto
30Tsuyama Massacrespree killing21 May 38Rural village of Kaio and Okayama

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