Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake Strikes Japan, Several Injured and Buildings Collapse

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday, leaving several people injured and causing buildings to collapse, according to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The quake also sparked fires and caused power outages, with damage reported to roads and bridges.

“We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have received information that several people have been injured,” Takaichi said during a press conference held after the strong tremor.

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) reported the earthquake occurred on Kyushu Island at around 4:27 p.m. local time. It registered the highest level, 7, on Japan’s seismic intensity scale, known as Shindo.

In a separate statement, Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority reported no abnormalities at nuclear power plants in the affected area following the tremor. Local utility Kyushu Electric Power confirmed that three nuclear reactors operating at the time of the quake continued to function normally.

The earthquake triggered a tsunami advisory, with the JMA estimating wave heights of up to one metre and predicting they would reach coastal areas by 5:00 p.m. local time.

This latest quake follows a magnitude 7.2 tremor that struck Japan on 25 June, which fortunately caused no fatalities or severe damage. Japan, an archipelago of 125 million people situated atop four major tectonic plates along the western edge of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” experiences hundreds of tremors annually and accounts for roughly 18 per cent of the world’s earthquakes.