Which 1923 earthquake devastated Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan?

The 1923 earthquake that devastated Tokyo and Yokohama was the Great Kantō earthquake.

It struck Japan’s Kantō region on 1 September 1923 at about 11:58 a.m. The earthquake had an estimated magnitude of 7.9 and ruptured the Sagami Trough, where the Philippine Sea Plate subducts beneath the surrounding plates. Severe shaking damaged buildings across Tokyo and Yokohama.

Fires caused enormous destruction because the earthquake occurred around lunchtime, when many cooking fires were burning. The disaster also produced landslides, ground failure and a tsunami along parts of Sagami Bay. More than 100,000 people died, although exact totals vary by source.

The event is often confused with the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake, which struck Kobe. Japan now commemorates the disaster annually on 1 September as Disaster Prevention Day.