Magnitude 7.1 earthquake shakes southern Japan, tsunami warning issued

What the report says

Al Jazeera, citing its staff and Reuters, reported that a magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit southern Japan’s Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, July 28, prompting tsunami warnings, emergency earthquake alerts and aftershocks across parts of Kyushu. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami warning for waves as high as 1 metre, while government alerts covered Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Miyazaki prefectures.

The reported epicentre was in Uki, south of Kumamoto city, at a depth of about 10km. Al Jazeera said strong shaking was felt in Kumamoto and neighbouring prefectures, and a Reuters image cited in the article showed a television screen in Tokyo displaying a collapsed bridge. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi wrote on X that residents in affected areas should stay alert for the chance of another quake of comparable strength, while the government worked to determine damage quickly.

The quake disrupted utilities and transport. Kyushu Electric Power said about 40,000 homes lost electricity, and JR Kyushu suspended services, including bullet trains. Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at nuclear power stations in the region. The article noted that companies including Sony and TSMC have facilities along the quake’s path, though there was no immediate confirmation of damage to infrastructure.

The event is significant because Japan is highly exposed to seismic activity along the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” Al Jazeera also recalled that two major earthquakes in Kumamoto a decade earlier killed 275 people and injured 2,739, underscoring the region’s vulnerability.