World·NewAn earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes, stopping rail services and briefly triggering warnings for tsunamis and aftershocks.Quake knocks out power to thousands of homes, briefly triggers tsunami advisoryThomson Reuters · Posted: Jul 28, 2026 4:53 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.Reporters watch the news showing a large quake and possible one metre tsunami wave in southern Japan, from an office in Tokyo on Tuesday. (Andrew Cabellero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images)An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 struck Japan's southern Kumamoto prefecture on Tuesday, knocking out power to thousands of homes, stopping rail services and triggering warnings for tsunamis and aftershocks.The Japanese government issued emergency earthquake warnings for Kumamoto, Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Fukuoka, Saga, Oita, and Miyazaki prefectures, all on Japan's southern Kyushu island. A tsunami warning for a wave measuring one metre was issued after the earthquake, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.The advisories were lifted within two hours. Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, in a message posted on X, urged residents to avoid the coastline where the tsunami was predicted. She said her government has set up a task force to gather information, assess possible damage and prepare for rescue operations if needed.Takaichi later told reporters that there have been reports of a number of injuries and damages to roads, bridges and buildings, as well as blackouts and fire, though details are still unclear. Takaichi warned people cooking to be careful with fire and with shards of broken glass. "We are putting people's lives as the top priority," Takaichi said, urging residents in the strongly shaken areas to use caution in light of possible strong aftershocks.Prone to earthquakesJapan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said there were no reports of damage to major public facilities and infrastructure in the region, though authorities were still assessing the extent of damage from the quake.Companies including Sony and TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, have plants in the area of the quake.A Sony spokesperson said the company was checking the situation. TSMC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Tuesday's quake had a preliminary magnitude of 7.1, and struck Japan's southern Kyushu island. (Mehmet Yaren Bozgun/Anadolu/Getty Images)Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, with a tremor occurring at least every five minutes. Located along the "Ring of Fire" of volcanoes and oceanic trenches partly encircling the Pacific Basin, Japan accounts for about 20 per cent of the world's earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 or more.Kumamoto was hit with a deadly quake in 2016 that left more than 50 people dead, 1,800 injured and tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed. Kyushu Electric Power said about 40,000 homes had lost power as a result of the quake, while railway company JR Kyushu said that it had suspended services, including its high-speed bullet trains.There were no irregularities reported at the nuclear power stations in the area, Japan's nuclear regulation authority said. A fallen signboard outside a restaurant is seen on a street in Kumamoto prefecture, in Kumamoto, on Tuesday. (Kyodo/Reuters)With files from The Associated Press