Authorities urge coastal residents to evacuate after a powerful offshore quake near Kumamoto
A powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s southern island of Kyushu on Tuesday, prompting authorities to issue a tsunami warning and emergency alerts across several prefectures.
According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake’s epicentre was located off Kumamoto Prefecture at a depth of 10 kilometres beneath the seabed.
Authorities warned that tsunami waves of up to one metre could reach parts of the coastline and urged residents in low-lying coastal areas to immediately move to higher ground and follow official evacuation instructions.
【地震速報】熊本県熊本地方で震度７ 津波注意報 気象庁https://t.co/fAoIlTGbTd pic.twitter.com/CrK9DjyYMX
— NHKニュース (@nhk_news) July 28, 2026
Public broadcaster NHK reported that waves of that height may already have reached some coastal locations.
The Prime Minister’s Office directed all government agencies to rapidly assess the extent of the damage, prioritise rescue operations and ensure that every possible measure is taken to protect lives.
Emergency earthquake warnings were issued for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Miyazaki prefectures across Kyushu as authorities monitored the situation closely.
There were no immediate reports of major casualties or widespread structural damage, but officials continued to assess the impact of the powerful tremor.
The latest earthquake comes just days after a 7.2-magnitude quake struck northern Japan on June 25, which caused no deaths or significant damage.
Japan remains one of the world’s most earthquake-prone nations, lying along the Pacific Ring of Fire, where four major tectonic plates converge. The country experiences hundreds of earthquakes every year and accounts for nearly 18 per cent of global seismic activity.
The nation still bears the scars of the devastating 9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011, which claimed nearly 18,500 lives and triggered the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Earlier this year, on April 20, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, injuring at least 10 people and prompting authorities to issue a temporary advisory warning of a heightened risk of even stronger earthquakes.
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