Japan sits atop one of the most seismically active regions on Earth, where four major tectonic plates converge along the Pacific Ring of Fire. The country experiences roughly 1,500 earthquakes annually, according to Live Science, and accounts for approximately 20% of the world's earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher, according to StudyIQ. From that long and often destructive history, here are 10 of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in or near Japan, ranked by magnitude.

1. Great Tohoku Earthquake (2011) — Magnitude 9.0 to 9.1

The strongest earthquake ever recorded in Japan struck off the northeastern coast of Honshu on March 11, 2011, at 2:46 p.m. local time, according to VolcanoDiscovery. The quake triggered a devastating tsunami that swept across the Sanriku coastline and caused a nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, marking one of the most catastrophic natural disaster events in modern Japanese history. VolcanoDiscovery confirmed this remains the largest earthquake to occur in or near Japan in more than 100 years, dating back to 1900.

2. Hōei Earthquake (1707) — Magnitude 8.6 to 8.7

Striking south-central Japan on Oct. 28, 1707, at around 1:45 p.m. local time, the Hōei earthquake ruptured along the Nankai megathrust fault and affected the Chūbu, Kansai, Shikoku and Kyūshū regions, according to Wikipedia's earthquake records. The quake produced a tsunami reaching 25.7 meters, or roughly 84 feet, and killed between 4,900 and 21,000 people. Before the 2011 Tohoku disaster, the Hōei earthquake held the record as the most powerful earthquake in recorded Japanese........

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