Magnitude 7.1 Quake Strikes Japan’s Kyushu Region

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on Tuesday, reaching the highest level on the country’s seismic intensity scale and prompting a broad emergency response.

The earthquake struck at 4:27 p.m. at a depth of about 10 kilometers, according to Kyodo News. The Japan Meteorological Agency recorded intensity 7 in Uki and Hikawa and upper 6 in surrounding areas.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said authorities had received reports of injured people but had not confirmed a total. Officials were still assessing the damage.

The government established a countermeasures room and held a meeting of an emergency team of officials from related ministries and agencies. Takaichi directed agencies to prioritize rescue operations and coordinate with local governments.

Damage reports emerge

The Uki Fire Department reported continuous emergency calls and said multiple people were possibly injured. Firefighters were also assessing the situation after a fire broke out.

Footage from an NHK helicopter around 5:30 p.m. showed flames and smoke rising from what appeared to be a residential building in Uki.

Several buildings reportedly collapsed near the epicenter, The Japan Times reported via NHK. Highway overpasses in Yatsushiro were reportedly heavily damaged and what appeared to be the pedestrian section of a bridge collapsed.

A shopping mall in Kashima also appeared partly collapsed, while a report of an explosion remained unconfirmed, the newspaper said.

Researcher Shayne Bowden, 55, said he was inside a library near Kumamoto Station when the shaking sent his laptop sliding across a desk.

“It kept shaking and shaking,” Bowden told The Japan Times.

Tsunami advisories lifted

Authorities said tsunami advisories were issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas following the quake. The weather agency lifted both advisories at 6:10 p.m. and no tsunami waves were detected.

The agency warned of likely building collapses and landslides. The residents were warned to be on the alert for quakes of up to magnitude 7 in the coming week, particularly in the next 2-3 days.

It was the first quake to hit intensity 7 in Japan since the January 2024 quake in the Noto Peninsula.

Travel and utilities disrupted

Kyushu Electric Power reported power outages affecting about 48,300 households in Kumamoto Prefecture. The company warned people to steer clear of downed power lines.

JR Kyushu suspended all services in its operating area including the Kyushu Shinkansen and local lines in October 2023.

As of 4:40 p.m., runways at Aso Kumamoto Airport were closed. The airport operator declined to comment on when it might be re-opened.

Kyushu Electric Power Co. said there were no abnormalities at its Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima Prefecture or Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga Prefecture. The radiation levels on the sites have not changed.

Class 4 long-period ground motion was recorded in the Kumamoto region. Shaking at that level can make movement impossible without crawling.

Class 3 motion was recorded in the Amakusa and Ashikita regions, where the shaking can make it difficult to remain standing and may topple furniture.