Tsunami Warning Issued In Japan After 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Kumamoto — Coastal Areas Told To Evacuate

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan on Tuesday, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. The JMA issued a tsunami warning for waves of up to 1 metre (3.28 ft) following the quake.

Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae said the quake's epicentre was in the Kumamoto region, with strong shaking of maximum seismic intensity 7, the highest level on Japan's scale, recorded in Uki City and Makigawa Town, both in Kumamoto Prefecture, at around 4:27 pm.

Japanese authorities separately issued emergency earthquake warnings across Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita and Miyazaki, all prefectures on Japan's southern Kyushu island, Reuters reported.

Japan's Cabinet Office for disaster management in an X (formerly Twitter) post said in a 4:29 pm (JST) tsunami advisory that people should evacuate coastal areas immediately for the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea, and stay away until the advisory is lifted.

Takaichi said the government had immediately set up the Prime Minister's Office Countermeasures Room and Crisis Management Centre after the quake, and convened an "Emergency Assembly Team" of bureau chief-level officials from relevant ministries and agencies to assess the damage and coordinate emergency response.

She said she had given three instructions to ministries and agencies: urgently assess the damage situation; coordinate closely with local governments to fully engage in lifesaving and rescue efforts for affected people, under a policy of prioritising human life; and provide timely, accurate information to the public on tsunamis and damage.

Following which, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) of Japan, in a separate X post, said the premier had issued a three-point directive to the government.

Japan sits among the world's most earthquake-prone nations, with tremors occurring roughly every five minutes. The country lies along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," a belt of volcanoes and oceanic trenches, and accounts for close to a fifth of all magnitude 6.0-plus earthquakes recorded globally.

Kyushu Electric Power said it had found no irregularities at its Sendai and Genkai nuclear power stations following the quake, as per Reuters.

Train operator JR Kyushu said it had suspended services, including its high-speed Shinkansen lines, in the aftermath of the earthquake.