A strong earthquake of 7.3 M at a depth of 63 km occurred on 16 March at 14.36 UTC (23.36 local time) off the coast of Fukushima Prefecture. The epicentre was located about 50 km east of coastal Minamisoma City (Fukushima Prefecture). Fukushima Prefecture was severely affected by the 9.1 M earthquake in 2011, which caused more than 18,000 fatalities.

USGS PAGER estimates that up to 15,000 people were exposed to severe shaking, up to 2,392,000 people to very strong shaking, and up to 3,215,000 exposed to strong shaking. A foreshock of 6.5 M and an aftershock of 5.5 M were recorded in the area. A tsunami warning was issued by authorities on 16 March but was later lifted. A small tsunami up to 0.3 m was recorded in the coastal areas in Miyagi and northern Fukushima.

According to the Japanese Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA), two people have died and at least 161 people have been injured. There are no abnormalities have been detected at nuclear power plants in the region