Kumamoto Earthquake

At 4:27 p.m. local time on July 28, 2026, a shallow magnitude 7.1 earthquake (as measured by the Japan Meteorological Agency; the USGS measured Mw 6.8) ruptured the Hinagu Fault in Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's island of Kyushu. It produced shaking of shindo 7, the top of the JMA intensity scale. Uki, Hikawa, Yatsushiro, Kashima and Kumamoto City were among the hardest-hit areas, and damage reached Nagasaki and other Kyushu prefectures.

Kumamoto Prefecture reported 39 deaths as of August 11, according to Jiji Press, and 368 people injured. Two incidents accounted for many of the deaths: a partial collapse and LP-gas explosion at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima killed seven people, and a chimney collapse at Nippon Paper's Yatsushiro plant killed nine. As of August 27, 31,951 homes had been damaged across Kyushu, 1,449 of them collapsed. About 48,300 households lost power, up to 84,000 lost water, and the Kyushu Shinkansen was damaged.

The number of evacuees peaked at 10,467 in 415 shelters, and more than 2,000 people were still in shelters on August 28. About 4,600 Self-Defense Force troops were deployed, and the government released ¥24 billion and ¥147.8 billion from reserve funds.