Honshu Island, Japan’s largest island, hit by magnitude 6.2 earthquake off its east coast.

Exam-focused facts from the 28 March 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Honshu is Japan’s largest island with an area of 227,898 sq km and ranks as the world’s seventh-largest island.
The island lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west).
Honshu hosts over 104 million people, more than 80% of Japan’s total population, making it the second-most populous island globally after Java.
Major Japanese cities on Honshu include Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, Nagoya, Kyoto, and Yokohama.
Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain and an active stratovolcano, and Lake Biwa, its largest lake, are located on Honshu.
The Central Trough, a central mountainous spine, dominates the island and contains most of Japan’s highest peaks.