A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan, leaving fatalities and causing damage including the collapse of a large shopping mall. Some semiconductor plants and transportation networks were also affected, and the Japanese government has deployed the Self-Defense Forces for rescue operations.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, a magnitude 7.1 quake occurred at 4:27 p.m. on the 28th near Uki, Kumamoto Prefecture. The hypocenter depth was 10 kilometers, which is relatively shallow, and shaking at the maximum level of intensity 7 was observed in Kumamoto and nearby areas. This is the first time since the Noto Peninsula earthquake in Jan. 2024 that intensity 7 has been recorded in Japan.
The European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) put the quake at magnitude 6.8, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) also revised its initial 7.1 to 6.8. The Japan Meteorological Agency, however, maintained 7.1.
The quake's effects extended beyond Japan to Korea and China. In Korea, reports of shaking were filed mainly in southern regions such as Busan, South Gyeongsang, and Pohang in North Gyeongsang, while in China, tremors were detected in some eastern coastal areas including Shanghai.
Immediately after the quake, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued an advisory warning that a tsunami up to 1 meter high could occur in areas including the Ariake Sea in Kumamoto Prefecture, but it lifted the advisory about an hour later after no significant waves were observed. It cautioned, however, that aftershocks of up to intensity 7 could occur for about a week and urged vigilance.
The worst damage so far occurred at the large complex shopping mall Ion Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture. About an hour and 30 minutes after the quake, an explosion was heard from the building, followed by the collapse of the roof, exterior walls, and part of the second floor, leaving many people trapped, including more than 20 employees of tenant stores who were inside at the time.
Right after the quake, the mall evacuated about 200 customers to the outdoor parking lot, but rescue work has focused on employees and others who remained inside at the time of the collapse. Some of the injured were taken to hospitals. NHK reported that a nearby restaurant worker said, "After a booming 'thud,' an extremely large cloud of dust billowed up from the direction of the mall."
An earthquake expert appearing on NHK said, "Judging from the building damage, it seems that combustible materials caught fire and caused an explosion. It does not appear to be damage from shaking due to the quake or from an ordinary fire." Japanese police are also investigating the cause of the explosion.
Casualties are also rising. In Yatsushiro, a resident rescued from a collapsed dwelling was taken to a hospital but died, and contact has been lost with a family of four who lived in another collapsed dwelling. As of the afternoon, at least 90 injured people had been transported to medical institutions in Kumamoto Prefecture, and the scale of the damage is expected to continue to grow.
The Japanese government has urgently deployed more than 3,600 personnel, including Ground Self-Defense Force mobile regiments, to the affected areas to carry out rescues. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi convened a meeting of the emergency disaster response headquarters and said, "I instructed that the government act as one, centered on local police and firefighters, to put lifesaving and rescue activities first."
The quake also affected industrial facilities and transportation networks. In Yatsushiro, parts of roads and bridges were damaged, and at a Nippon Paper plant, part of a smokestack collapsed, cutting off contact with several workers. A freight train derailment also occurred, and JR Kyushu suspended all Kyushu Shinkansen services. Kumamoto Airport temporarily halted operations for a runway safety inspection and then resumed, but some domestic flights were canceled that day.
Plants in the Kumamoto area, a key production base for the semiconductor industry, also launched emergency responses. JASM, the Japan production subsidiary of TSMC, the world's largest foundry, evacuated all employees and conducted facility inspections under emergency procedures. The Japanese government said no damage to production facilities has been reported so far.
Tokyo Electron decided to halt operations at two plants in Kumamoto Prefecture through the 29th and conduct safety checks, and Sony Semiconductor is also checking for damage at its image sensor plant. Toyota temporarily suspended operations at three plants in Fukuoka Prefecture, and Honda likewise stopped production at its motorcycle plant in Ozu, Kumamoto Prefecture.
No issues have been identified with nuclear plant safety. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it was informed by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) of Japan that no safety problems or damage had been confirmed at nuclear power plants in Kyushu and Shikoku, including the Sendai plant about 100 kilometers from the epicenter, and that they were operating normally.
The Korean government is also closely watching the damage situation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said no Korean casualties have been reported so far and that it is continuing to check the safety of Korean nationals through local missions.