A powerful earthquake struck Japan's Kyushu region on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and leaving many others in cardiac arrest. The article reports that over 100 aftershocks have occurred since the quake, which had a magnitude of either 7.1 or 6.8 (depending on the source) and hit Kumamoto prefecture at 16:27 local time. Thousands are currently without power, and rescue crews are searching for survivors in areas such as a paper factory and shopping mall. The Japanese Prime Minister has warned that it is a "race against time" to rescue those trapped.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Why this leaning score
The language used is generally neutral, but the inclusion of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's statement about it being a 'race against time' to rescue those trapped suggests a slightly sympathetic tone towards the government's efforts.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score +0.04 for article 46 · logged 2026-07-30
- Published
Japan's south-western Kyushu region has had more than 100 aftershocks since it was struck on Tuesday by a powerful earthquake which left at least 13 people dead.
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which → publish → people
Many others were said to be in cardiac arrest - a term often used in preliminary reports in Japan before a death is officially confirmed.
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death → say → Japan
In searing heat, rescue crews are digging through the rubble at a paper factory and a shopping mall in Kumamoto prefecture, looking for trapped survivors.
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crews → sear → survivors
The mall suffered an explosion in the hour after the quake struck.
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quake → suffer → hour
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi warned it was "truly a race against time" to rescue those trapped.
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it → warn → those
The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) is urging residents to be alert for the possibility of strong aftershocks, public broadcaster NHK reported.
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NHK → urge → aftershocks
"For the next week or so, especially the next two to three days, we would like people to watch out for potential earthquakes with a maximum seismic intensity of 7," a JMA official said.
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official → like → 7
Tuesday's quake hit the Kumamoto prefecture on Kyushu island at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT).
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quake → hit → time
One of the worst-hit buildings was the Aeon Mall in Kashima, where a portion of the second floor collapsed.
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portion → hit → floor
Footage of the shopping centre showed white smoke rising as people ran into the car park.
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people → show → park
Large parts of the centre's exterior were blown off, exposing the steel beams underneath.
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parts → blow → beams
Three people remain unaccounted for as rescuers search the rubble.
Aeon Mall president Akio Yoshida confirmed three people were killed in the mall explosion.
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people → remain → explosion
Some 2,700 people were employed at the mall, officials said.
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officials → employ → mall
Yoshida said four people were taken to hospital from the mall, adding that one person had been rescued from a bathroom and another person was in cardiac arrest.
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person → say → arrest
"We sincerely apologise for this incident," Yoshida said at a press conference on Wednesday.
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Yoshida → apologise → Wednesday
Other areas affected include a factory in Yatsushiro City where two people were found to have no signs of life and nine others were unaccounted for, NHK reported.
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NHK → affect → life
"Although more than 20 hours have passed since the earthquake, there are those still in need of help," Takaichi said on Wednesday.
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Takaichi → pass → Wednesday
More than 4,600 personnel were deployed to help with rescue efforts, Takaichi added.
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Takaichi → deploy → efforts
Officials advised rescuers and quake survivors to take precautions against heatstroke in the clean-up work as temperatures hit about 35C (95F).
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temperatures → advise → 35C
Defence Minister Shinjirō Koizumi said in a post on X that about 300 air conditioning units would be flown to Kumamoto and distributed in the worst-hit areas.
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units → say → areas
The JMA measured the earthquake magnitude at 7.1 and the US Geological Survey later placed it at 6.8.
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Survey → measure → 6.8
Quake magnitude figures are often updated as seismologists obtain and analyse new data.
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seismologists → update → data
Footage aired by NHK showed cracked roads and bridges and several buildings on fire.
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Footage → air → fire
Train services were suspended and electricity cut off for thousands of homes.
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electricity → suspend → homes
Residents in Kumamoto prefecture awoke on Wednesday to the aftermath of the quake, with images showing debris on the streets and collapsed buildings, including the worship hall of the 19th Century Yatshushiro Shrine.
One resident, Hiroko Ogata, 75, told the BBC she was at the restaurant she runs in Yatsushiro City when the earthquake hit.
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earthquake → awake → City
"All of a sudden there was a big jolt, and I was surprised and scared...
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I → be → ?
I have lived here for 75 years, but I have never experienced such a big quake.
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I → live → quake
I thought I would die."
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I → think → ?
American tourist Chantel Mohar was also in Kumamoto with her family when the earthquake struck.
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earthquake → strike → family
While travelling in the tourist bus, everyone's phones went off with earthquake alerts.
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phones → travel → alerts
"There was just a lot of rocking and confusion," she told the BBC's Newsday programme.
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she → be → programme
