Magnitude 7.1 earthquake in Southwestern Japan kills 14, displaces thousands

Jul 29, 2026

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on July 28, 2026, killing 14 people and displacing nearly 8,800 residents. The disaster triggered a fatal explosion at an Aeon shopping mall in Kashima and damaged a Nippon Paper Industries plant in Yatsushiro. In response, 4,600 Self-Defense Forces personnel launched rescue operations. The quake also disrupted regional transport and forced major manufacturers, including Toyota and Honda, to suspend factory operations.

Magnitude 7.1 Kumamoto earthquake

▪Nearly 8,800 people stayed in evacuation centers in Kumamoto Prefecture following the earthquake.
▪The earthquake registered the maximum intensity of 7 on the Japanese seismic intensity scale in Uki and Hikawa at 4:27 p.m. on July 28, 2026.
▪Up to 48,000 households in Kumamoto Prefecture lost power, with 34,000 still without electricity as of 2:00 p.m. on July 29, 2026.
▪A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan on July 28, 2026.

Aeon shopping mall explosion

▪The explosion at the Aeon shopping mall killed three workers, left one worker unresponsive, and left three workers unaccounted for.
▪An explosion, possibly caused by gas, occurred at an Aeon shopping mall in Kashima at around 5:50 p.m. on July 28, 2026.
▪All customers safely evacuated the Aeon shopping mall to outdoor parking lots by around 5:00 p.m. on July 28, 2026, before the blast.

Death toll reaches fourteen

▪The death toll from the Kumamoto earthquake reached 14 confirmed dead as of July 29, 2026.
▪One person died at a hospital after being rescued from a collapsed house in the city of Yatsushiro.
▪Five people died, two were injured, and four went missing at a Nippon Paper Industries Co. plant in Yatsushiro where a smokestack was damaged.

Self-Defense Forces rescue operations

▪About 480 police personnel from 11 prefectures and a Tokyo metropolitan police emergency rescue team joined the search for missing people.
▪Around 4,600 Self-Defense Forces personnel were dispatched in response to the earthquake, with 170 conducting rescues at a collapsed shopping center.

Transportation service suspensions

▪Sagawa Express Co. and Japan Post Co. suspended delivery and postal services in parts of Kumamoto Prefecture.
▪Kyushu Shinkansen bullet train services were mostly suspended, except for a section between Hakata and Chikugo Funagoya stations.
▪Japan Airlines canceled 11 flights and All Nippon Airways canceled two flights due to the earthquake.

Factory closures across region

▪Tokyo Electron Ltd. suspended operations at two chip equipment plants in Kumamoto Prefecture.
▪Honda Motor Co. halted operations at its factory in the town of Ozu through the morning of July 29, 2026.
▪Toyota Motor Kyushu Inc. announced a halt at three Fukuoka Prefecture plants from the evening of July 29, 2026, through late July 31, 2026.