The earthquake

On Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at 4:27 p.m. local time, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) located the epicenter at a depth of 10 kilometers, about 5 kilometers east of the city of Uto and roughly 900 kilometers southwest of Tokyo. The U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at magnitude 6.8. Shaking reached the highest level, 7, on Japan's seismic intensity scale in the hardest-hit areas. A tsunami warning was issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro straits, with waves of up to one meter expected, but the alert was lifted less than two hours later after no destructive tsunami materialized.

Casualties and rescue efforts

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told reporters that authorities were still evaluating the full extent of the damage.

“We are still assessing the scale of injuries and material losses. I have been informed that there are already many injured.”

By Wednesday morning, the death toll had risen. Takaichi provided an update.

“As of 8:30 a.m., 13 deaths have been confirmed, along with extensive destruction including building collapses, fires, and road damage. Time is of the essence.”

Earlier, dozens of injured were transported to hospitals: Kyodo news agency reported about 40 people taken to a hospital in Yatsushiro and another 50 to a facility in Kumamoto city. In the city of Kashima, an explosion at a shopping center caused the partial collapse of the building; local firefighters said many people could be trapped under the rubble. At a paper factory, 11 workers were caught beneath a collapsed chimney, and two were pulled out without signs of life, according to the AP. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi ordered the Self-Defense Forces to launch immediate rescue operations. Evacuation orders were issued for more than 61,000 residents across Kumamoto, Fukuoka, and Nagasaki prefectures.

Infrastructure and industrial disruption

The quake caused severe damage to roads and bridges, with reports of buckled pavement and collapsed overpasses. A freight train derailed and overturned at Yatsushiro station; the driver was unharmed. The stone wall of the historic Kumamoto Castle partially collapsed, though all tourists were evacuated safely. At least 48,000 households lost power. All JR Kyushu train services, including the Shinkansen bullet train, were suspended, and flights were halted at Kumamoto and Nagasaki airports. Toyota suspended operations at three factories on Kyushu, and Honda took similar measures. The shopping center in Kashima, which had been rebuilt with reinforced construction after a previous earthquake, suffered a second-floor collapse followed by an explosion whose cause remains unknown.

Nuclear safety and tsunami warning

Japan's nuclear regulatory authority reported no abnormalities at the Sendai and Genkai nuclear power plants, both located near the affected region. The JMA's tsunami warning, issued minutes after the quake, had cautioned of one-meter waves reaching the coast around 5 p.m. Broadcaster NHK said waves of that height were recorded, but the warning was canceled by early evening. The government sent emergency alerts to seven prefectures on Kyushu: Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki.

Seismic history

The same area of Kyushu was struck by a strong earthquake a decade ago that killed several dozen people. Japan, which sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," experiences about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes. The country's deadliest recent disaster was the magnitude 9.0 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which left about 18,500 people dead or missing and triggered the Fukushima nuclear accident. More recently, on April 20, 2026, a magnitude 7.7 quake in northern Japan injured at least 10 people and prompted a special warning of elevated risk for a magnitude 8.0 or larger event, which was lifted after a week. The JMA has warned residents to remain cautious of strong aftershocks over the next two to three days.