The quake shook Kumamoto, on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, late Tuesday afternoon local time, causing damage and injuries.(Image credit: Kyodo News via AP) Japan issued a tsunami alert after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Kyushu, damaging buildings, cutting power and prompting emergency response efforts. An earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon, causing damage and injuries, officials said.
Police received reports of an explosion at the Aeon Mall outlet in the Kumamoto region but the force did not provide information on damage or any casualties. A “considerable number” of people have died in a shopping mall damaged by a major earthquake on Tuesday (July 28, 2026) in southwestern Japan, broadcaster TBS said A magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit Japan on Tuesday, according to the U.S.
Geological survey and the Japan Meteorological Agency. PM Sanae Takaichi urges people to 'remain vigilant for the possibility of another earthquake' in Kumamoto prefecture. TOKYO (AP) — An earthquake registering a magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto on Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon, causing damage and injuries, officials said.
A tsunami advisory was temporarily issued but was lifted within two hours, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The agency said the tsunami advisory covered the nearby Ariake and Yatsushiro Seas on the western coasts of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Saga prefectures about 900 kilometers (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo. Geological Survey initially said the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.1, but revised it later to 6.8.
Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a message posted on X, said her government has set up a task force to gather information, assess possible damage and prepare for rescue operations if needed. Takaichi later told reporters that there have been reports of a number of injuries and damages to roads, bridges and buildings, as well as blackouts and fire, though details are still unclear. Takaichi warned people cooking to be careful with fire and with shards of broken glass.
Kyodo News agency said a hospital in Yatsushiro city accepted about 40 people with injuries from the quake. A train was derailed and fell on its side at the Yatsushiro station, and stone walls were damaged at the Kumamoto castle, Kyodo said. Yozo Kai, a priest at a Shinto shrine in the nearby town of Mashiki, said a few stone lanterns fell down.
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