At least 13 people were killed and dozens injured after a powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's southwestern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed early Wednesday. The strong tremor caused widespread physical destruction across the region, triggering house fires, severe road damage, bridge collapses, and the destruction of large steel structures and industrial chimneys.
The earthquake registered a maximum 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale, making it the strongest quake in the country since the Noto Peninsula earthquake on New Year's Day in 2024. The United States Geological Survey reported that the main quake struck at 4:27 p.m. local time at a depth of 10 kilometers, centered approximately 5 kilometers east of Uto in Kumamoto. The USGS initially measured the quake at magnitude 7.1 before revising its estimate down to 6.8. A significant magnitude 5.6 aftershock followed shortly after at 5:08 p.m. local time, centered 16 kilometers northeast of Tsunagi.
Local prefectural officials confirmed that at least 31 people sustained injuries, while disaster response teams continue to search for missing residents trapped beneath collapsed structures. Extensive blackouts affected approximately 48,000 households across Kumamoto prefecture following the initial shock. Notable structural failures occurred across the region, including the partial collapse and subsequent gas leak explosion at an Aeon shopping mall in Kashima, as well as a major chimney collapse at a local paper mill that left several workers missing.
Transit networks throughout southwestern Japan experienced severe operational halts. Operations on the Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train line remain fully suspended while safety inspections of the track infrastructure are conducted. City trams in Kumamoto began resuming limited operations at reduced speeds on Wednesday morning, though the Kumamoto City Transportation Bureau warned that services could be suspended immediately if strong aftershocks reoccur. Major domestic carriers, including Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways, canceled dozens of flights serving regional airports.
Prime Minister Takaichi announced the establishment of an Emergency Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters to coordinate relief efforts, deploying thousands of Self-Defense Forces personnel, police emergency units, and specialized rescue teams to assist local first responders. Authorities have urged the public to remain extremely cautious and prepared for potential aftershocks, landslides, and fire hazards. Japan, situated along the Pacific Ring of Fire, experiences roughly 20 percent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or greater.
