The March 2011 Mw 9.0 Tohoku-Oki earthquake activated shallow aftershocks with normal faulting focal
mechanisms near the trench axis. To investigate stress state in the shallow subduction zone near the
trench axis, we used ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs) to record earthquakes from August to October
2011. We estimated hypocenter locations and focal mechanisms of the recorded earthquakes by using
a grid-search method in a 2-D velocity model based on an active seismic survey. The results show that
most of the earthquakes occurred within both the overriding and subducting plates, with very few on the
plate interface and none in the most seaward 45 km of the overriding plate (aseismic wedge). The low
seismicity along the plate interface is consistent with the nearly complete stress drop on the megathrust
fault in the Mw 9.0 earthquake. Focal mechanisms indicate that trench-normal tension is pre-dominant
in both plates and extends to a depth of about 30 km at least. On the other hand, several trench-normal
compressional earthquakes were located at the landward end of the aseismic wedge. These earthquakes
suggest horizontal compression of the overriding prism that may be caused by a strengthening of the
shallowest part of the megathrust.