Japan issues tsunami alert after 7.1-magnitude quake hits southwest

Japan issued a tsunami alert following a powerful 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck the southwestern island of Kyushu on Tuesday. The tremor, occurring at 4:27 p.m. local time, registered the highest possible level seven on Japan's Shindo seismic intensity scale, indicating violent shaking.

The earthquake caused widespread power outages, affecting approximately 45,000 households and facilities in the Kumamoto region, according to local utility Kyushu Electric Power. Despite the intensity of the quake, no immediate abnormalities were reported at the region's operating nuclear power plants. The tsunami alert warned of waves up to one meter (three feet), with broadcaster NHK reporting that such waves may have already been recorded.

Live reports from the scene described intense and continuous shaking. An NHK staffer, reporting from a newsroom that was itself shaking violently, conveyed the fear and instability, stating, "Shaking is continuing as I speak. Including myself, there may be some people who feel their hearts racing." The reporter added, "When the quake struck, the shaking was so big that I could not stand up. Please be aware of the possibility that shaking might continue after this."

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Shaking is continuing as I speak. Including myself, there may be some people who feel their hearts racing.

This event brings back memories of the devastating earthquakes that hit Kumamoto in 2016, which included a 6.5-magnitude quake followed two days later by a 7.3-magnitude tremor. Those quakes resulted in 273 deaths and over 2,800 injuries.

Japan is highly susceptible to seismic activity due to its location atop four major tectonic plates along the Pacific "Ring of Fire." The archipelago, home to about 125 million people, experiences hundreds of earthquakes annually. The country remains haunted by the memory of the 2011 magnitude 9.0 undersea earthquake and subsequent tsunami, which caused around 18,500 deaths or disappearances and led to the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster.

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When the quake struck, the shaking was so big that I could not stand up. Please be aware of the possibility that shaking might continue after this.