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Emergency workers are seen outside the damaged Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, on July 29, 2026, after an earthquake struck southwestern Japan the previous day. [AFP]
Sachi Nishiyama spent two years in temporary housing after twin quakes devastated southwestern Japan in 2016. This week, she slept in her car after a new, powerful tremor that killed at least 30 people.
Temperatures on Thursday were around 35C in the Kumamoto region, two days after the 7.1-magnitude earthquake wreaked major structural damage.
Power and water outages have affected tens of thousands of buildings, leaving residents sweltering and thirsty, and fearing yet another repeat of the quake that struck 10 years ago.
