Takaichi says evacuation centres are being provided with food, water and air-conditioning

Prime minister Sanae Takaichi has said some 7,700 people have been evacuated and around 450 evacuation centres are currently open for displaced residents.

She said efforts are being made to provide evacuation centres with food, water, air-conditioning and power generators amid scorching heat in parts of the country.

“As the evacuation period drags on, it is absolutely important to ensure that conditions in the evacuation centres remain favourable,” she says.

She added that over 4,000 personnel have been deployed to carry out rescue efforts.

People line up to collect water from a supply truck at the city hall in Uki city, Kumamoto Prefecture (AFP/Getty)

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 07:57

Japan earthquake hits auto and chip supply chains in Kyushu

The powerful earthquake on Tuesday forced Japanese manufacturers to halt production at facilities across the island of Kyushu as they assess the damage.

The earthquake hit Kyushu, a manufacturing hub and an ⁠important part of the semiconductor and automobile industry’s supply chains.

Toyota said on Wednesday it would halt operations at three plants in southern Japan through Friday as it weighed the impact of ⁠the earthquake on suppliers and logistics, just hours after resuming production which had stopped the previous day.”

A firefighter searches for missing people at Aeon Mall Kumamoto which was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake on July 29, 2026 in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture (Getty)

The situation, including aftershocks ⁠and recovery efforts, is changing daily,” the world’s ​biggest ⁠automaker said in a statement about the suspensions at its Miyata, Kanda and Kokura plants from Wednesday until 31 July.

Honda Motor Co said it would ‌extend an operation suspension at its Kumamoto motorcycle plant, also until Friday, to allow repairs to quake-damaged parts of the factory.

Chipmaker Renesas said it halted operations at two plants in Kumamoto, which had suffered fallen ceiling panels, cracks ⁠in walls and some water leakage.

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 07:46

Japan records over 170 aftershocks after powerful quake

Over 170 aftershocks had been reported in Kumamoto by Wednesday morning following yesterday’s powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake, according to NHK.

The tremors ranged in magnitude from 1 to 6, the agency said, referring to Japan’s own seven-point seismic intensity scale.

Authorities have warned residents in ‌the areas that felt the biggest tremors to be on alert for further strong quakes ‌for about a week, as well as for the risk of landslides.

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 07:29

Is it safe to travel to Japan? Latest advice after deadly earthquake disrupts flights and trains

Although tsunami warnings have been lifted, the UK Foreign Office (FCDO) tells tourists that there are “reports of disruption to air and rail services” with earthquake aftershocks set to continue.

Here is the latest travel advice for Japan, plus all the key questions and answers, following the earthquake.

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 06:50

Tremor of Japan earthquake felt in parts of South Korea

The powerful earthquake that struck Japan was also felt in parts of South Korea on Tuesday, authorities said.

Tremors were felt in the southern port city of Busan as well as Incheon, west of Seoul, and the central city of Daejeon.

Authorities said more than 170 phone calls reporting the tremor were received in Busan and some people had evacuated. Many people on the upper floors of buildings reported feeling the shaking and that parked vehicles moved slightly.

A total of 760 reports had been received across the country, the interior ministry and fire authorities said, adding that no damage had been reported.

Earthquake map Japan (US Geological Survey)

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 06:30

Aerial view shows destruction at Nippon factory

Aerial footage from the Nippon Paper Industries factory shows the scale of destruction after the earthquake caused a towering chimney to snap and collapse onto the site.

The collapse trapped workers beneath the rubble, with rescue teams continuing to search for seven missing people.

Four others are seriously injured, a local government official ​said.

The factory has suspended operations while the company verifies employee safety and assesses damage.

A drone view shows rescue workers at Nippon Paper Industries factory after an earthquake (Reuters)This aerial image shows a damaged chimney of the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto (AP)A collapsed chimney of the Nippon Paper Industries Co.’s Yatsushiro factory, is partly seen following an earthquake in Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, Wednesday (AP)

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 05:56

‘Like a field hospital’: Quake-hit facilities struggle in Kumamoto

Some hospitals have reported being overwhelmed in the aftermath of the disaster, as power outages exacerbated the strain on emergency services.

One hospital in Uki City, near the epicentre, said a power outage caused by the earthquake left it unable to function.

“It’s become like a field hospital,” the head of the hospital’s administrative department told NHK.

Another hospital in the city said it had suspended admissions because it could no longer handle additional emergency cases after treating 86 people injured in the quake, including three with serious injuries.

(AFP/Getty)

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 05:41

Kumamoto quake likely caused by fault left unbroken after 2016 earthquakes, expert says

Seismologists believe the powerful earthquake that struck Kumamoto on Tuesday may have been caused by a section of an active fault zone left unruptured after the devastating twin earthquakes that hit the same region in 2016.

The earthquake, which was measured at 7.1 magnitude by the Japanese disaster management authority and 6.8 by the US Geological Survey, hit Kumamoto Prefecture on Tuesday.

It occurred close to the epicentres of the magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 earthquakes a decade ago, which killed more than 270 people.

Experts told Kyodo that the 2016 disaster may have increased strain along the fault, triggering the latest rupture, and warn that strong seismic activity could continue.

Shinji Toda, a professor of seismology at Tohoku University, said: “It is believed that the 2016 earthquake caused a significant strain and stress, resulting in movements along part of the Hinagu fault zone”.

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 05:24

Thousands of homes without power in summer heat

Thousands of homes without power in summer heatMore than 48,000 homes are still without power in Kumamoto as temperatures soared to around 34C (93F) today, as authorities warned about the risk of heat stroke.

Hospitals near the epicentre are struggling to cope after the powerful quake, with one facility in Uki City describing itself as “like a field hospital” following a power outage that left it unable to function.

A building with smoke rising from it after an earthquake in Uki City, Kumamoto Prefecture (AFP/Getty)

Another hospital has suspended new admissions after treating 86 injured people, including three with serious injuries, saying it could no longer handle additional emergency cases.

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 05:10

Shweta Sharma29 July 2026 04:38