(Kumamoto, July 28) TSMC's Japanese subsidiary JASM initiated evacuation procedures at its Kumamoto plant following the Japan 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kyushu at 4.27pm local time on Tuesday, with the Kikuyo Town facility recording a seismic intensity of 5-upper. The chip manufacturer confirmed it was prioritising personnel safety and conducting headcounts, while Taiwanese companies including Advantech, Delta Electronics and two others confirmed their employees were safe and operations remained unaffected.
Earthquake Scale and Damage
The Japan 7.1-magnitude earthquake was recorded at a depth of approximately 10 kilometres, centred in the Kumamoto district. Maximum intensity of 7 struck Uki City and Hikawa Town, with intensity 6-upper across Kumamoto City's southern ward, Yatsushiro and several other municipalities. The quake was strong enough that a hotel employee in Yatsushiro described being unable to stand upright during the lateral shaking, which lasted approximately five to ten seconds.
AEON Mall Explosion and Collapse
Approximately 30 to 40 minutes after the earthquake, the AEON Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town experienced an explosion. A taxi company worker located about 200 metres away heard a deep boom and saw grey smoke rising from the building; white ash subsequently fell over vehicles on nearby streets. NHK aerial footage at around 6.20pm revealed severe structural damage: exterior walls had shed large sections exposing steel reinforcement, the roof had partially collapsed, and an apparent explosion-caused hole was visible on the upper floor. Fire department officials confirmed that the explosion had caused a partial second-floor collapse, trapping multiple people inside. Multiple fatalities were reported to be likely.
Casualty and Impact Data
Around 217,000 people received evacuation orders; 318 emergency calls were logged by police; at least seven fires burned across Kumamoto Prefecture; 48,000 households lost power; at least 12 buildings collapsed and nine people were trapped or missing. Toyota suspended production at its Fukuoka plant; Bridgestone halted operations at its Kumamoto facility; Nippon Paper's Yatsushiro factory was shut down after its chimney collapsed. Delivery services from Japan Post, Yamato Transport and Sagawa Express were suspended across all or parts of Kumamoto Prefecture.
Government Response
Prime Minister Takaichi established the "Extraordinary Disaster Response Headquarters" — the first activation since the 2024 Noto earthquake — and deployed approximately 3,600 SDF personnel to the disaster zone. The government ordered a "push-type" distribution of emergency supplies to evacuation centres, including food, water, portable cooling equipment and power generators.
Meteorological Agency Warning
The JMA warned that another large quake within the next two to three days is highly probable and that a magnitude-7-or-above event cannot be excluded over the next week. The agency noted that the epicentre is near the same fault zone that produced two intensity-7 earthquakes in 2016, and urged the public to remain vigilant, avoid damaged structures and rest in safe locations overnight.