# 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 | 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 |
| 19,759 | Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami | Earthquake and Tsunami | 11 Mar 2011 | 72 km east of Oshika Peninsula, Tōhoku | 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. 19,759 dead, 2,553 missing and 6,242 injured confirmed by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency on 8 March 2022. |
| 19,113 (Official confirmed) | 1828 Siebold　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. |
| 15,000+ | 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 (9 ft 6 in) 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.$^{:378}$ |
| 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 |
| 1,121 | Mutsu | Shipwreck, Explosion | 8 Jun 1943 | Hashirajma fleet anchorage, Yamaguchi Prefecture | The battleship sank after accidental magazine explosion |
| 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 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 | Shipwreck, Explosion | 12 Jul 1918 | Tokuyama Bay, Shunan, Yamaguchi Prefecture | The battleship capsized after a magazine explosion. |
| 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 | Shipwreck | 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 Japan flood | 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 |
| 318 | 2024 Noto earthquake | Earthquake and Tsunami | 1 Jan 2024 | Noto Peninsula, Ishikawa Prefecture | Additional damage was also caused by a 6.58 m (21.6 ft) tsunami. 3 people are still missing, with damage and injuries also occurring in Niigata, Toyama, Fukui, Osaka, Nagano, Hyōgo and Gifu Prefectures. |
| 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 | |
| 102 | I-33 | Shipwreck | 13 Jun 1944 | Iyo Nada, Seto Inland Sea | The submarine sank in a diving accident. |
| 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. |
| 91 | I-67 | Shipwreck | 29 Aug 1940 | Off Minamitorishima | The submarine sank in a diving accident. No survivors. |
| 88 | Submarine No. 70 | Shipwreck | 21 Aug 1923 | Seto Inland Sea | The submarine sank in a diving accident. |
| 85 | I-179 | Shipwreck | 14 Jul 1943 | Seto Inland Sea | The submarine sank in a diving accident. No survivors. |
| 84 (Official) | 1924 Otaru Explosion | Explosion | 27 Dec 1924 | Otaru, Hokkaido | The cargo ship Shoho Maru, carrying about 1,000 boxes of explosives exploded in Otaru on December 27, 1924, after arriving the day before. A fire broke out while the cargo was being unloaded, setting off about 600 boxes and caused a large explosion in Otaru Port. |
| 81 | I-63 | Shipwreck | 2 Feb 1939 | Bungo Strait off Kyushu | The submarine sank after colliding with the submarine I-60. |
| 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 | |
| 71 | I-61 | Shipwreck | 2 Oct 1941 | Koshiki Channel | The submarine sank after colliding with an Imperial Japanese Navy gunboat. |
| 68 | Toa Domestic Airlines Flight 63 | Air incident | 3 Jul 1971 | Yokotsudake | No survivors. |
| 59 | Typhoon Bolaven | Typhoon | 19 Aug 2012 | Ryūkyū Islands | |
| 56 | 2014 eruption of Mount Ontake | 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. |
| 46 | Submarine No. 43 | Shipwreck | 19 Mar 1924 | Off Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture | The submarine sank after colliding with the light cruiser Tatsuta. No survivors. |
| 44 | Myojo 56 building fire | Arson | 1 Sep 2001 | Kabukicho section of Shinjuku, Tokyo | |
| 41 | 2018 Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake | Earthquake | 6 Sep 2018 | Hokkaido, primarily in Atsuma town | |
| 41 | Shigaraki train disaster | Train Wreck | 14 May 1991 | Kōka, Shiga | |
| 40 | 2004 Chūetsu earthquake | Earthquake | 23 Oct 2004 | Niigata Prefecture | |
| 36 | Kyoto Animation arson attack | Arson | 18 Jul 2019 | Kyoto | At least 36 people were killed, with 36 others injured and hospitalized. It is reported to be the worst confirmed mass-murder incident in Japan's post-war history and the worst building fire in Japan's history since the Myojo 56 building fire in 2001. |
| 32 | Hotel New Japan Fire | Fire | 8 Feb 1982 | Tokyo | A fire at the Hotel New Japan located in Tokyo's Akasaka District killed 32 and injured at least 60 |
| 30 | Tsuyama massacre | Spree killing | 21 May 1938 | Rural village of Kaio in Okayama Prefecture | |