A magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck at 10:31 p.m. on Feb. 20 in the eastern part of Yamanashi Prefecture, with its epicenter located in the Fuji Five Lakes region at a depth of approximately 20 kilometers. No tsunami risk was reported. However, the proximity of the quake to Mount Fuji—dormant for 318 years—has raised public concerns about a possible volcanic eruption.
The tremor was felt with an intensity of 3 in parts of Kanagawa, Yamanashi, and Shizuoka prefectures, while Tokyo and nearby areas recorded an intensity of 2. Although the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) did not link the earthquake to volcanic activity at Mount Fuji, social media has been abuzz with speculation about a potential eruption.
Some users cited JMA data, noting that earthquakes occur annually in the Fuji Five Lakes area and called for calm, advising against unnecessary panic.
Mount Fuji last erupted in 1707, which created Mount Hōei and expelled massive amounts of volcanic ash that reached areas as far as Edo (modern-day Tokyo).
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