Japan Trench is an oceanic trench part of the Pacific Ring of Fire off northeast Japan . It extends from the Kuril Islands to the northern end of the Izu Islands , and is 8,046 meters ( 26,398 ft ) at its deepest . It links the Kuril-Kamchatka Trench to the north and the Izu-Ogasawara Trench to its south with a length of 800 km ( 500 miles ) . This trench is created as the oceanic Pacific plate subducts beneath the continental Okhotsk Plate ( a microplate formerly a part of the North American Plate ) . The subduction process causes bending of the down going plate , creating a deep trench . Continuing movement on the subduction zone associated with the Japan Trench is one of the main causes of tsunamis and earthquakes in northern Japan , including the megathrust Tōhoku earthquake and resulting tsunami that occurred on 11 March 2011 . The rate of subduction associated with the Japan Trench has been recorded at about 7.9-9.2 cm/yr
Tōhoku earthquake and resulting tsunami
2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
Japan Trench