TOKYO: A powerful earthquake shook Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, leaving at least 50 people injured, damaging buildings and disrupting electricity, transport and communication services across the region.
The 7.1 magnitude quake caused widespread damage, with authorities reporting power outages, fires, collapsed structures, and cracks in roads and bridges. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the full extent of casualties and damage was still being assessed.
“We have already been informed that people have been injured,” Takaichi said, adding that some areas had also experienced fires, power outages, damaged roads and bridges, and building collapses.
Public broadcaster NHK reported that one hospital had received more than 50 injured people, while several passengers on a high-speed train were also injured at the time of the earthquake.
Multiple buildings were damaged, including an Aeon shopping mall where NHK reported an explosion. Footage from the broadcaster showed fires and partially collapsed structures in affected areas.
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The earthquake also disrupted transportation services, with large cracks appearing on major roads, including an elevated highway. A goods train derailed, while railway services, including JR Kyushu’s high-speed bullet trains, were suspended. Kumamoto airport temporarily closed its runway, leading to flight disruptions.
Kyushu Electric Power said around 40,000 homes lost electricity following the quake. Mobile services were also affected, with telecom operators KDDI and Docomo reporting disruptions due to power shortages and transmission-line failures.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) issued emergency warnings for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Miyazaki prefectures on Kyushu island. A tsunami warning for waves of up to one metre was issued initially but later lifted after no tsunami activity was observed.
“This earthquake occurred inland, and no tsunami activity has been observed so far,” a JMA spokesperson said.
The earthquake also affected industrial operations in the region. TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, evacuated workers from its nearby plant as a precaution, while Sony and Fujifilm also moved staff away from facilities in the affected area.
More than 150,000 people were advised to move to evacuation centres, according to Japan’s disaster management agency. Authorities also warned residents to remain alert for possible aftershocks and landslides in the coming days.
Japan’s nuclear regulation authority confirmed that no irregularities were reported at nuclear power plants in the affected areas.
Japan remains one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries due to its location along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where frequent seismic activity occurs. The country accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or higher.
A major earthquake in Kumamoto in 2016 killed 275 people and injured 2,739 others, causing extensive damage across the region.
