On January 1st 16:01 (4:10 p.m local time) an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude (stronger than the Great Tangshan Earthquake, an earthquake with the highest death toll on record - one calculated in the hundreds of thousands) struck the Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture. A 1.2 meter (3.28 ft) tsunami struck Wajima Port in Ishikawa; this tsunami also caused more damage because of the earthquake.

Citizens of the peninsula were distraught and hopeless, some feared the safety of their relatives who lived far away from them. There were an estimated 62 fatalities and 22 injuries. 46,000 people managed to evacuate; however roads and bridges that were connected to other residences that were not impacted harshly from the earthquake were blocked.

The aftermath of the earthquake devastated citizens who visited their homes to find them broken and collapsed. Thirty houses in Niigata Prefecture and about 32,600 households in Ishikawa Prefecture are without power. There are a few areas that have been cut off from any water supply or food. Most houses have lost power and it is impossible to contact their loved ones or relatives.

This also raises economic issues for Japan, with the losses of houses and buildings and the amount of money to repair everything. This is because the expected cost of repairs is between 400 and 900 billion yen (2-6 billion USD). Rather than enjoying the New Year, residents have had to deal with a devastating tremor that could have ended their lives.