7.1-magnitude earthquake strikes southern Japan; rescue operations underway in Kashima

A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on July 28, 2026, at 4:27 p.m. local time, collapsing buildings, sparking fires, and trapping people in a major shopping complex as rescue operations entered their critical phase.

The Japan Meteorological Agency measured the quake at magnitude 7.1, reaching the highest possible level on Japan's Shindo scale of shaking intensity. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a lower magnitude of 6.8 for the same event. The earthquake hit at the far southern end of Japan's main Kyushu island, in one of the world's most seismically active regions.

According to reports from TBS, a Japanese partner network of CBS News, at least nine people remained missing in the Aeon Mall in Kashima city, where the shopping complex's second floor collapsed according to the fire department. Five people had been rescued from the mall. Police in Kashima city told TBS that there were "a lot of deaths" in the mall but stated it would "take time to confirm the exact number." At least 50 people were taken to hospitals according to Japan's public broadcaster NHK. Beyond the shopping mall, at least 12 houses had collapsed per NHK; Kyodo news agency reported one person was killed in a damaged home. At a Nippon Paper Industries plant in nearby Kumamoto Prefecture, a chimney collapsed, trapping eleven people; two had been rescued.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a statement: "We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries. Power outages and fires are happening in some areas, and roads and bridges have been damaged and buildings collapsed." About 45,000 households and facilities in the Kumamoto region lost power, according to Kyushu Electric Power.

The Japan Meteorological Agency initially issued an alert for a possible tsunami of up to three feet but withdrew the warning after a couple of hours. Three nuclear reactors operating in the Kumamoto region at the time were functioning normally with no immediate abnormalities recorded at nuclear power plants, per the Nuclear Regulation Authority.

The Kumamoto region was hit by two devastating earthquakes in 2016, one measuring 6.5 magnitude followed two days later by a 7.3 magnitude quake. Those quakes killed 273 people and injured more than 2,800. Japan sits atop four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific Ring of Fire and accounts for about 18 percent of the world's earthquakes. The country is home to around 125 million people and typically experiences hundreds of seismic jolts every year. A 7.2 magnitude quake struck northern Japan on June 25, 2026, with no reported deaths or major damage. In April 2026, a 7.7 magnitude tremor hit Japan's north, injuring at least 10 people and shaking large buildings in Tokyo.