Ten percent of the world's active volcanoes are located in Japan. Japan is location at the Junction of four tectonic plates - Pacific, Philippine, Eurasian and North American.
Up to 1500 earthquakes are recorded every year in Japan. The coastline is at risk of tsunamis from earthquake and volcanic activity.
On 11th March 2011 a magnitude 8.9 earthquake hit 130 km off the east coast of Honshu near Sendai.