The 2021 Chiba earthquake (千葉県北西部地震, Chiba-ken Hokuseibu Jishin) was an earthquake that occurred in Japan at 22:41 JST (13:41 UTC) on October 7, 2021. The epicenter was recorded approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) southwest of Chiba in Chiba Prefecture. The earthquake struck a depth of around 62.0 kilometers (38.5 mi) to 75.0 kilometers (46.6 mi) with a magnitude of 5.9 on the Richter scale. A maximum intensity of Shindo 5+ was recorded, equivalent to VI (Strong) on the Mercalli scale. It was the strongest earthquake to strike the Tokyo area since the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.