At least one person was killed on Tuesday after a strong earthquake struck southwestern Japan's Kumamoto prefecture, as rescue teams continue searching for at least 20 people missing at a shopping mall in the prefecture.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) initially reported the earthquake as magnitude 7.1 before revising it down to 6.8.
The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) at 4.27 pm local time (0727GMT), about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) east of Uto in Kumamoto, according to the USGS.
Germany's GEOFON seismic monitoring network also initially measured the quake at magnitude 6.4 before revising it to 6.8.
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said that the quake had an intensity of 7 -- on the Japanese scale of 0 to 7 -- in the hardest-hit areas, the public broadcaster NHK reported.
The quake in the prefecture at the center of Kyushu registered a maximum seismic intensity of 7 in Uki and Hikawa and an upper 6 in surrounding areas, according to Kyodo.
It also registered an upper 5 in the neighboring Kagoshima prefecture and a lower 5 in the Fukuoka and Saga prefectures.
JMA warned that strong aftershocks remain possible, including earthquakes registering a seismic intensity of up to 7, over the next week, particularly during the next two to three days.
Later, a magnitude 5.6 quake occurred at 5.08 pm (0808GMT), 16 kilometers (9.9 miles) northeast of Tsunagi, Kumamoto, according to the USGS.
JMA has recorded long-period ground motion in the region, a type of long-lasting tremor capable of rocking high-rise buildings. It mainly affects people on higher floors.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said the strong quake caused injuries, power outages, fires, damage to roads and bridges, and building collapses.
At least one person was killed when a house collapsed in the prefecture.
Some 50 injured people were transported to the hospital.
The power outage affected about 48,000 households in the prefecture.
Japan's Cabinet Office Disaster Management Division earlier said a tsunami advisory had been issued for the Ariake and Yatsushiro seas, urging residents to leave coastal areas immediately. The advisory was later lifted.
Kyushu Electric Power said that no abnormalities were reported at the Sendai nuclear power plant in Kagoshima prefecture or at the Genkai nuclear power plant in Saga prefecture, reported Kyodo.
Shinkansen bullet train and local rail services were also suspended across the Kyushu region.
Japan's Defense Ministry said the Self-Defense Forces had begun aerial reconnaissance and would prioritize life-saving operations, according to a statement through the US social media company X.
Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said 3,600 Self-Defense Forces personnel have been deployed, adding that troops are conducting rescue operations at Aeon Mall Kumamoto.
The runway at Kumamoto Airport was temporarily closed after the quake and later reopened, but domestic flights to and from the prefecture were canceled.
Sections of the Kyushu Expressway collapsed following the quake, NHK footage showed.
More than 217,430 people in Kumamoto, Nagasaki, and Fukuoka Prefectures have been ordered to evacuate, according to Nippon News Network.
A freight train derailed and overturned in Kumamoto. No injuries were reported.
Authorities in Yatsushiro City reported fires, collapsed houses, and burst water pipes.
A chimney collapsed at Nippon Paper Industries' Yatsushiro Mill following the quake, with several employees reported missing, the news network said.
Rescue teams are racing to free people trapped at Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima Town after they were buried beneath parts of the second floor that collapsed following an explosion.
Aerial footage from an NHK helicopter showed sections of the shopping center's exterior walls torn away, exposing parts of the building's framework.
Earlier, about 200 people evacuated the mall after the quake.
Four people were also transported to the hospital from the mall.
According to Kyodo, there are 20 to 30 people, including employees, still missing at the mall.
Local television footage earlier showed Japanese firefighters setting up color-coded triage mats in the parking lot of the damaged Aeon Mall in Kumamoto, with red designated for critically injured patients requiring immediate lifesaving treatment, yellow for those with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, and green for the walking wounded.
Kumamoto Prefectural Police earlier said many people are believed to have died at the mall, adding that it will take time to confirm the exact death toll, according to TBS News.
