According to the USGS : The Mw 6.8 Honshu earthquake of June 13th 2008 occurred in a region of convergence between the Pacific Plate and the Okhotsk section of the North American Plate in northern Japan , where the Pacific plate is moving west-northwest with respect to North America at a rate of approximately 8.3 cm/yr . The hypocenter of the earthquake indicates shallow thrusting motion in the upper ( Okhotsk ) plate , above the subducting Pacific plate , which lies at approximately 80 km depth at this location . The earthquake occurred in a region of upper-plate contraction , probably within the complicated tectonics of the Ou Backbone Range , known to have hosted several large earthquakes in historic times . The largest of these events occurred in 1896 , approximately 70 km north of the June 13th event , and killed over 200 people in the local area . According to JMA : Aftershocks of this earthquake were stronger than the Great Hanshin earthquake in 1995 , but they happened much less frequently
Great Hanshin earthquake
Great Hanshin earthquake
2008 Iwate–Miyagi Nairiku earthquake