Japan rocked by major earthquake, Kumamoto Castle collapse

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes, rupturing roads and injuring at least 50 people, including some trapped inside a partially collapsed shopping mall.Multiple people were trapped inside an Aeon shopping mall rocked by an explosion that occurred after the earthquake, emergency services said. Te area around was in a state like volcanic ash was falling. One hospital had reported more than 50 injuries, public broadcaster NHK said. Several people on a high-speed train at the time of the quake were also injured, Nikkei newspaper said.

???????? More than 50 people were injured in one of the prefectures on Kyushu Island in Japan after powerful 7,1 earthquakes

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reported that the tremors caused fires, damage to roads and bridges, as well as the collapse of buildings.

NHK reported… pic.twitter.com/hTFjhdZPl1

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) July 28, 2026

TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, evacuated workers from its plant in the area as a precaution, a spokesperson for the firm said. Sony and Fujifilm also evacuated staff from their plants in the area, Nikkei newspaper reported. A Sony spokesperson earlier said it was checking the situation. Around 300,000 people have been instructed to go to evacuation centres, the disaster management agency said. The quake’s epicentre was about 20 kilometres south of Kumamoto, central Kyushu island’s largest city with a population of around 700,000.
Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes.Located along the “Ring of Fire” of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20% of the world’s earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or more. A tsunami warning was issued immediately after Tuesday’s quake, but was later lifted. As per Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake struck the Kumamoto Region at a depth of 10 kilometres and a magnitude of 7.1. Meanwhile, the USGS has recorded the earthquake at a magnitude of 6.8. JMA also noted a few aftershocks at magnitudes 4.5 and 4.2 in the same region.

Kumamoto castle has been undergoing repair for years after it was damaged by earthquake 10 years ago. Today it was struck by earthquake again. pic.twitter.com/upeIwr6HjJ

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Speaking to reporters at her office in Tokyo, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the number of casualties and extent of the damage in the area – which was devastated by a tremblor a decade ago – were still being assessed. “We have already been informed that people have been injured. Power outages and fires have occurred in some areas, and there has also been damage to roads and bridges and the collapse of buildings,” Takaichi said. “I ask everyone to take action to protect themselves, including evacuating to a safe location.”