A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, causing widespread damage, cutting power to thousands of homes, and triggering a partial collapse and explosion at a large shopping mall where deaths are feared. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed injuries, fires and structural damage across the region, which was previously devastated by a major quake a decade ago, and urged residents to evacuate to safety as authorities work to assess the full scale of the disaster.

Around 300,000 people have been told to move to evacuation centres, with hundreds of soldiers deployed to assist rescue efforts amid ongoing aftershocks on the island of Kyushu. Some 20 to 30 workers remain unaccounted for after an explosion tore away part of the Aeon-operated mall, which houses roughly 200 shops, while police described "quite a few" fatalities as likely; separately, people are missing after a chimney collapse at a Nippon Paper Industries factory. Hospitals have reported more than 90 injuries combined, roads and an elevated highway have cracked, rail services have been suspended and flights grounded, and major manufacturers including TSMC, Sony, Fujifilm, Tokyo Electron and Honda have evacuated staff or halted operations at nearby plants.