From 21m agoPeople trapped in a shopping centre after earthquake hits southern island in JapanPeople are trapped inside a shopping mall that was damaged in a major earthquake today in southwestern Japan, emergency services have said.In “Kashima town, a shopping complex’s second floor collapsed, leaving many people trapped inside,” the local fire department said in a statement.Earlier, police said they had received reports of what sounded like an explosion at the Aeon Mall outlet in the Kumamoto region, but were unable to supply additional information on damage or any casualties.The reports come after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit southern Japan.According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), the earthquake had a depth of 10km and hit the country’s Kumamoto prefecture at 4.27pm local time (8.27am BST).The tremor measured at the highest possible level seven on Japan’s Shindo scale of shaking, the agency said. While the agency initially issued a tsunami warning for ​a wave measuring one metre, it has since rescinded that.In 2016, Kumamoto was hit by two devastating earthquakes – one of magnitude 6.5, followed by one of magnitude 7.3 two days later – which killed 273 people and injured over 2,800 others.Kumamoto province highlighted in red on map of Japan. Illustration: Mohamed Rasik/Getty Images/iStockphotoKey events8m agoNo damage or safety issues at Sendai nuclear plant after quake - IAEA21m agoPeople trapped in a shopping centre after earthquake hits southern island in JapanAn aerial image shows the damaged Aeon mall after an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan.This aerial image shows the damaged AEON Mall after an earthquake in Kashima, Kumamoto prefecture, southern Japan, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. Photograph: undefined/Kyodo News/APNo damage or safety issues at Sendai nuclear plant after quake - IAEAThe ⁠UN nuclear watchdog said ⁠that Japan’s ​nuclear regulation ⁠authority has informed it that there ⁠is ​no ‌damage ‌or safety issues ‌at the Sendai nuclear power plant after a ‌7.1-magnitude earthquake hit Japan’s southern ​Kumamoto prefecture.“The IAEA will continue ⁠to monitor the ​situation,” ​said the watchdog ​in ​a ‌post ​on X.Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has confirmed that the government has assembled an “Emergency Assembly Team” to tackle the disaster.She wrote on social media: