A magnitude 6.8 (initially reported as 7.1) earthquake struck Japan's south-western Kyushu region on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people, with more than 100 aftershocks recorded since. Rescue crews are searching through rubble in Kumamoto prefecture, including at a paper factory and the Aeon Mall in Kashima town, which suffered an explosion shortly after the quake. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi described the operation as "truly a race against time" to reach those still trapped, as thousands remain in evacuation centres, many without power.

At the Aeon Mall, three people were killed and three more remain missing after part of the second floor collapsed and an explosion tore off sections of the exterior; around 2,700 people had been working there. A separate factory search in Yatsushiro City found two people with no signs of life and nine still unaccounted for. More than 4,600 personnel have been deployed, with authorities distributing around 300 air conditioning units to combat heatstroke risk amid temperatures of about 35C. The shallow quake, centred 10km deep and roughly 20km south of Kumamoto city, damaged roads, bridges and buildings, including a 19th-century shrine, and the Japan Meteorological Agency has warned of possible further strong earthquakes over the coming days.