Japan earthquake tsunami advisory lifted after Kyushu damage

A strong Japan earthquake prompted a temporary tsunami advisory Tuesday after shaking Kumamoto on Kyushu, Japan’s southern main island, officials said. The Japan Meteorological Agency said no tsunami was observed, and the warning was lifted within two hours.

The agency put the quake’s magnitude at 7.1 and said it struck late Tuesday afternoon local time. The U.S. Geological Survey first reported the same magnitude, then revised its estimate to 6.8.

The advisory covered the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas along the western coasts of Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Saga prefectures, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The area is about 560 miles southwest of Tokyo.

Was there a tsunami after the Japan earthquake?

No tsunami was detected after the inland quake, according to Shinji Kiyomoto, an earthquake and tsunami countermeasures official at the Japan Meteorological Agency. A tsunami advisory is a notice for coastal areas to prepare for possible dangerous waves; in this case, officials withdrew it after no tsunami was observed.

Kiyomoto told reporters the shallow quake had set off active seismic movement in the area. He urged residents to be especially cautious for the next two to three days because of possible aftershocks.

What damage was reported in Kumamoto?

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on X that the government had created a task force to collect information, check damage and prepare rescue operations if required. She later told reporters that officials had received reports of injuries, damage to roads, bridges and buildings, blackouts and a fire, while the full extent remained unclear.

Kyodo News reported that a hospital in Yatsushiro city received about 40 injured people after the quake. Kyodo also said a train derailed and fell onto its side at Yatsushiro station, and that stone walls at Kumamoto Castle were damaged.

Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency said it had not received reports of damage to major public facilities or major infrastructure, while assessments were continuing. Local fire departments received many emergency calls about fires and damaged homes, the agency said.

Takaichi urged residents in the hardest-hit areas to be careful around fire while cooking and around broken glass. She said the government was putting lives first as authorities checked conditions on the ground.

What services were affected?

Shinkansen bullet trains and local rail services in Kyushu were stopped for safety inspections, according to officials. A notice on Aso Kumamoto Airport’s website said its runway was closed and that there was no estimate for when operations would restart.

Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority said it found no abnormalities at three nearby nuclear power plants. The Defense Ministry said it sent aircraft to the area to help assess the situation.

Kumamoto has a recent history of severe earthquake damage. In 2016, a quake in the prefecture killed more than 50 people, injured 1,800 and damaged or destroyed tens of thousands of homes, according to officials cited by the Associated Press.

This story draws on original reporting from NPR.