The Asian country of Japan experiences roughly 20 tornadoes per year. In 2006, a tornado struck Saroma, Hokkaido, killing nine people, becoming the country's deadliest tornado. A powerful tornado in 2025, spawned by Tropical Storm Peipah, killed one person.
Data about tornadoes in Japan is collected by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), who use a modified version of the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF-Scale) known as the Japanese Enhanced Fujita Scale (sometimes abbreviation JEF-Scale).
The country experiences 20.5 tornadoes per year, on average. The most active month is September, and the least active is March. About 46% of Japanese tornadoes are associated with an extratropical cyclone, while a further 20% are associated with tropical cyclones. Waterspouts are somewhat common off the coast of Japan, some of which may come ashore and become weak tornadoes. However, under the right atmospheric conditions, supercell thunderstorms can form and produce stronger tornadoes in the country.
| Event | Date | Area | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miyazaki tornado | 26 September 1881 | Miyazaki, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | 16 fatalities | Deadliest Japanese tornado; destroyed Miyazaki Elementary School | |
| Yodobashi Town tornado | 23 September 1903 | Yodobashi Town, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | 10 fatalities, 14 injuries | Struck an elementary school in Toyotoma County | |
| Toyohashi City tornado | 28 November 1941 | Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | 12 fatalities, 177 injuries | 347 houses completely destroyed or heavily damaged | |
| Tomiye City tornado | 10 November 1957 | Tomiye City, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | 6 fatalities, 8 injuries | ||
| Azuma village tornado | 2 July 1962 | Aruma village, Chiba Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | 2 fatalities | ||
| Hamamatsu tornado | 26 August 1962 | Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | None | 168 houses severely damaged | |
| 1964 Tokyo tornado | 24 May 1964 | Southwestern Tokyo, Japan | – | None | 480 houses damaged | |
| Ooami-Shirasato town tornado | 28 October 1967 | Ooami-Shirasato town, Chiba Prefecture, Japan | - | 2 fatalities, 2 injuries | ||
| Sashima town tornado | 23 August 1969 | Sashima town, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | 2 fatalities, 107 injuries | ||
| 1978 Tokyo tornado | 28 February 1978 | Japan | ≥1 | 36 injuries | Longest path length Japanese tornado at 41.2 km (25.6 mi)
Damaged 289 homes and derailed a train |
|
| Hachirohgata village tornado | 11 January 1987 | Hachirohgata village, Akita Prefecture, Japan | ≥1 | None | Longest duration Japanese tornado at 41 minutes | |
| Mobara tornado | 11 December 1990 | Mobara, Chiba Prefecture, Japan | 1 death, 78 injuries (Ted Fujita lists 60 injuries) | Violent tornado damaged 1000 homes, 82 completely destroyed. Officially rated as F3 but rated as F4 by Fujita-based from one home that was lofted from its foundation and some contextuals | ||
| Toyohashi City tornadoes | 24 September 1999 | Toyohashi City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan | 4 | 262 injuries | F3 tornado |
| Event | Date | Area | Tornadoes | Casualties | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobeoka, Miyazaki tornado | 18 September 2006 | Nobeoka, Miyazaki Prefecture (Kyūshū), Japan | – | 3 fatalities, 100 injuries | 2nd deadliest tornado in recent Japanese history | |
| 2006 Saroma tornado | 7 November 2006 | Saroma, Hokkaidō, Japan | 9 fatalities, 26 injuries | F3 tornado. Deadliest tornado in recent Japanese history | ||
| Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture tornado | 6 May 2012 | Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan | - | 1 fatality, 52 injuries | Japan's worst tornado since November 2006; 890 houses were damaged. Rated F3. | |
| Sanba (Karen) | 18 September 2012 | Japan | Several | None | ||
| Saitama Prefecture tornado | 2 September 2013 | Saitama Prefecture, Japan | - | 63 injuries | F2 tornado | |
| Tropical Storm Toraji | 4 September 2013 | Japan | 3 | None | Strongest reported tornado at F1 intensity. | |
| Typhoon Man-yi | 15–16 September 2013 | Japan | 10 | 10 injuries | Ten F0 and F1 tornadoes touched down, damaging over 900 homes. | |
| Typhoon Hagibis | 12 October 2019 | Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture | 1 | 1 fatality, 5 injuries |
In 2020, 11 tornadoes were confirmed across Japan. No injuries or fatalities occurred as a result of any tornado that year. In July, a nearly stagnant baiu front brought record-breaking amounts of precipitation to Southern and Central Japan. The warm, moist air brought by this system created a highly unstable atmosphere, allowing the formation of cumulonimbus clouds that spawned four tornadoes throughout the month.
| JEFU | JEF0 | JEF1 | JEF2 | JEF3 | JEF4 | JEF5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Southern Tano | Kōchi | 06:10 | 0.8 km (0.50 mi) | 80 m (87 yd) | 45 m/s (100 mph) | |
| A tornado damaged roof trusses and peeled roofing materials from a warehouse. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFU | Eastern Rokkasho (1st tornado) | Aomori | 10:30 | 0.12 km (0.075 mi) | 70 m (77 yd) | Unknown | |
| Sheet metal roofing from a warehouse broke off, damaging a fishing boat. The damage caused by this tornado was insufficient to provide an estimate of its intensity. | |||||||
| JEF0 | Eastern Rokkasho (2nd tornado) | Aomori | 10:30 | 0.1 km (0.062 mi) | 50 m (55 yd) | 30 m/s (67 mph) | |
| A tornado was confirmed. No information was given regarding damages. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Utsunomiya to Haga | Tochigi | 10:40 | 0.7 km (0.43 mi) | 90 m (98 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| This tornado caused minor roof damage to several structures as well as damage to a stone wall and two vehicles. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Northern Misato | Saitama | 18:30 | 5.3 km (3.3 mi) | 180 m (200 yd) | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| Minor damage was done to 108 houses, including peeling roof tiles, partially destroying fences, and overturning sheds. Signs were collapsed, greenhouses were damaged, and trees were blown down as well. A local power outage is believed to have occurred as a result of the tornado. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Northeastern Kushimoto | Wakayama | 15:40 | 0.7 km (0.43 mi) | 200 m (220 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| A tornado peeled some roofing materials off several houses and damaged some crops and trees. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Yaotsu | Gifu | 18:35 | 0.5 km (0.31 mi) | 70 m (77 yd) | 30 m/s (67 mph) | |
| A tornado caused minor damage to the roofs of homes and carports. A greenhouse had its vinyl covers scattered and trees were uprooted as well. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Southeastern Rebun | Hokkaido | 16:20 | 0.45 km (0.28 mi) | 100 m (110 yd) | 30 m/s (67 mph) | |
| A waterspout made landfall, lightly damaging roofs. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEFU | Ōzu | Kumamoto | 17:10 | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | |
| A rotating funnel cloud was spotted, which was classified as a tornado by the JMA. No damage was recorded. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Shintomi | Miyazaki | 08:30 | 0.7 km (0.43 mi) | 30 m (33 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| A tornado peeled roof tiles from the roofs of homes and partially collapsed a greenhouse structure. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Southwestern Inami | Wakayama | 10:00 | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) | 150 m (160 yd) | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| Several greenhouses and crops were damaged by this tornado, and a carport had some roof tiles blown off. | |||||||
in 2021, 12 tornadoes were confirmed across Japan causing 4 injuries and no fatalities.
| JEFU | JEF0 | JEF1 | JEF2 | JEF3 | JEF4 | JEF5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Mutsuzawa | Chiba | 03:00 | 3.3 km (2.1 mi) | 140 m (150 yd) | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Mutsuzawa. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF2 | Kikugawa | Shizuoka | 06:30 | 1.1 km (0.68 mi) | 220 m (240 yd) | 65 m/s (150 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Kikugawa injuring 3 people. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Yokote | Akita | 04:15 | 0.3 km (0.19 mi) | 70 m (77 yd) | 25 m/s (56 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Yokote. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Shintomi | Miyazaki | 18:12 | 0.8 km (0.50 mi) | 100 m (110 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Shintomi. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Toyokawa | Aichi | 06:40 | 3.6 km (2.2 mi) | 150 m (160 yd) | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Toyokawa. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Yaotsu | Gifu | 03:30 | 2 km (1.2 mi) | 210 m (230 yd) | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Yaotsu. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Mihama | Aichi | 00:04 | 2.7 km (1.7 mi) | 220 m (240 yd) | 45 m/s (100 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Mihama injuring 1 person. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Kan'onji | Kagawa | 11:40 | 1.4 km (0.87 mi) | 140 m (150 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Kan'onji. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Futtsu | Chiba | 13:50 | 1.9 km (1.2 mi) | 250 m (270 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Futtsu. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Hirado | Nagasaki | 07:05 | 0.2 km (0.12 mi) | 50 m (55 yd) | 25 m/s (56 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Hirado. | |||||||
| JEF0 | Nasushiobara | Tochigi | 12:50 | 0.8 km (0.50 mi) | 170 m (190 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Nasushiobara. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Higashi Hiki | Nagasaki | 14:10 | 4.2 km (2.6 mi) | 100 m (110 yd) | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| A tornado caused damage in Higashi Hiki | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Tsugaru | Aomori | 11:40 | 1.8 km (1.1 mi) | 15 m (16 yd) | 50 m/s (110 mph) | |
| This tornado tracked through urban areas, damaging the roofs and exterior walls of wooden buildings and a temple. Additionally, light damage was done to a garage, a warehouse, and a greenhouse. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Ie | Okinawa | 11:05 | 0.3 km (0.19 mi) | 50 m (55 yd) | 30 m/s (67 mph) | |
| A waterspout made landfall on Iejima Island, where it broke windows and tree branches. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Tano | Kōchi | 06:30 | 1.2 km (0.75 mi) | 245 m (268 yd) | 50 m/s (110 mph) | |
| This brief tornado uprooted trees and damaged some structures; exterior wall siding and roof tiles were damaged and one roof truss was heavily damaged. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF2 | Sadowara (Northern Miyazaki) | Miyazaki | 13:53 | 7.9 km (4.9 mi) | 390 m (430 yd) | 60 m/s (130 mph) | |
| A strong tornado impacted northern parts of Miyazaki City, where it overturned vehicles, bent road signs, and damaged the roof of a factory.: 2–6 | |||||||
| JEF1 | Oriuzako to Aoshima (Southern Miyazaki) | Miyazaki | 22:40 | 3.0 km (1.9 mi) | 280 m (310 yd) | 50 m/s (110 mph) | |
| ? | |||||||
In 2025, there were seven confirmed tornadoes in Japan.
| JEFU | JEF0 | JEF1 | JEF2 | JEF3 | JEF4 | JEF5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Sakai | Fukui | 07:38 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| A waterspout made landfall, knocking the roof tiles off of some buildings and collapsing a shed. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Omaezaki | Shizuoka | 18:23 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| A tornado tore sheet metal roofs from residential buildings. | |||||||
| JEF1 | Shizuoka | Shizuoka | 19:30 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| This tornado rolled a light vehicle over in the Suruga ward. | |||||||
| JEF0 | Gifu | Gifu | 21:40 | 1.3 km (0.81 mi) | 100 m (110 yd) | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| Roof tiles were torn off of residential building by this tornado. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF0 | Kōra to Taga | Shiga | 15:39 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 35 m/s (78 mph) | |
| This tornado damaged steel pipes in greenhouses and knocked roof tiles off a house. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF2 | Kakegawa | Shizuoka | 12:30 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 55 m/s (120 mph) | |
| Large vehicles were overturned and 22 roofs were damaged by this tornado. | |||||||
| JEF3 | Makinohara to Yoshida | Shizuoka | 12:50 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 75 m/s (170 mph) | |
| 1 death — This very powerful tornado damaged almost two thousand buildings, including one that was completely destroyed. Walls of steel-framed buildings were deformed. 83 people were injured, and one man was killed when the tornado overturned his car. | |||||||
| JEF1 | Kikugawa (1st tornado) | Shizuoka | 12:50 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 45 m/s (100 mph) | |
| A signboard collapsed. | |||||||
| JEF1 | Kikugawa (2nd tornado) | Shizuoka | 13:00 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| Several coniferous trees were uprooted by this tornado. | |||||||
| JEF2 | Eastern Yaizu | Shizuoka | 13:00 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 65 m/s (150 mph) | |
| The truss of a wooden house was damaged by this tornado. | |||||||
| JEF1 | Southern Hitachi | Ibaraki | 13:39 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 50 m/s (110 mph) | |
| A tornado overturned two cars. | |||||||
| JEF1 | Itō | Shizuoka | 14:10 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 50 m/s (110 mph) | |
| Roof materials were peeled off of wooden houses and steel-framed stores. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Eastern Tsukuba | Ibaraki | 14:53 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 45 m/s (100 mph) | |
| Roof tiles were ripped off and shipping containers were overturned. The storm that produced this tornado and several downbursts in the region was notably recorded on a nearby high-resolution weather radar. | |||||||
| JEF# | Location | Prefecture | Time (JST) | Path length | Max. width | Wind speeds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEF1 | Ishigaki | Okinawa | 08:00 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 40 m/s (89 mph) | |
| A tornado overturned a small kei car among other damages. | |||||||
| JEF0 | Taketomi | Okinawa | 09:09 | [to be determined] | [to be determined] | 30 m/s (67 mph) | |
| Trees were snapped. | |||||||