A powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday (July 28), collapsing buildings and triggering fires, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. At least 50 people were taken to hospital, broadcaster NHK reported.&nbsp;The earthquake struck at 4:27 pm local time (0727 GMT) and recorded a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake reached the highest possible level of seven on Japan's Shindo seismic intensity scale.&nbsp;"We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries," Takaichi said.&nbsp;"Power outages and fires are happening in some areas, and roads and bridges have been damaged, and buildings have collapsed," she said.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">【地震速報】熊本県熊本地方で震度７ 津波注意報 気象庁<a href="https://t.co/fAoIlTGbTd">https://t.co/fAoIlTGbTd</a> <a href="https://t.co/CrK9DjyYMX">pic.twitter.com/CrK9DjyYMX</a>&mdash; NHKニュース (@nhk_news) <a href="https://x.com/nhk_news/status/2082010018560557077?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Authorities also issued a tsunami warning, forecasting waves of up to one metre (3.28 feet). Officials urged residents in coastal areas to move to higher ground and follow evacuation instructions.&nbsp;About 20 to 30 workers at Aeon Mall in Kumamoto, Japan, are missing after an explosion that caused extensive damage to the building, according to Japan's public broadcaster, NHK.&nbsp;NHK reported that a considerable number of people had died after the shopping mall suffered damage, while broadcaster TBS also reported fatalities.&nbsp;Also Read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/parliamentary-panel-summons-social-media-giants-after-pm-modi-video-removal-row-1785235426796">Parliamentary panel summons social media giants after PM Modi video removal row</a>&nbsp;Emergency services said "Many people" were trapped inside a shopping mall damaged by the earthquake in southwestern Japan.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">⚠️ JAPAN UPDATE: At least 50 injured have been hospitalized in Hikawa, Kumamoto, following the severe quake. Aerial footage shows a factory chimney collapsing in Yatsushiro, while an explosion has been reported at the Aeon Mall Kumamoto. 地震 - Uki - Earthquake - JMA - Sismo <a href="https://t.co/gHLo7eSjoH">pic.twitter.com/gHLo7eSjoH</a>&mdash; GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) <a href="https://x.com/geotechwar/status/2082043298383003741?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 28, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In Kashima town, the second floor of a shopping complex collapsed, leaving several people trapped inside, the fire department said in a statement.&nbsp;Police earlier received reports of what sounded like an explosion at an Aeon Mall outlet in the Kumamoto region. Authorities had not provided information on damage or casualties at the outlet.&nbsp;A 7.2 magnitude earthquake also struck northern Japan on June 25 but caused no deaths or major damage.&nbsp;Japan remains one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, experiencing around 1,500 earthquakes every year.

A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan, cracking roads, collapsing buildings, triggering fires and prompting tsunami warnings as authorities reported casualties and people trapped in a damaged shopping mall.

A powerful earthquake struck southwestern Japan on Tuesday (July 28), collapsing buildings and triggering fires, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. At least 50 people were taken to hospital, broadcaster NHK reported. The earthquake struck at 4:27 pm local time (0727 GMT) and recorded a magnitude of 7.1, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency. The quake reached the highest possible level of seven on Japan's Shindo seismic intensity scale. "We are still assessing the extent of injuries and property damage, but I have been informed that there have already been several injuries," Takaichi said. "Power outages and fires are happening in some areas, and roads and bridges have been damaged, and buildings have collapsed," she said.

A powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Japan, cracking roads, collapsing buildings, triggering fires and prompting tsunami warnings as authorities reported casualties and people trapped in a damaged shopping mall.

Watch: Several missing, roads crack open after powerful 7.1-magnitude quake hits Japan

Japan PM Sanae Takaichi on Thursday (July 2) met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her first official visit to the country after becoming her country's first woman PM. Takaichi and Modi's bilateral meeting paved way for a new era of Japan-India relations with a 16-point roadmap that includes collaboration in defence, critical minerals, energy security and artificial intelligence. The meeting also resulted in Japan's commitment of JPY 10 trillion (approximately ₹5.5 lakh crore) in private investment into India over the next decade. As the two leaders issued a press statement, the moment of PM Modi calling Takaichi “beautiful younger sister” went viral.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/why-india-and-japan-are-betting-big-on-clean-hydrogen-and-green-ammonia-wion-decodes-1782903805547/amp">Why India and Japan are betting big on clean hydrogen and green ammonia | WION Decodes</a><h2>WATCH WHAT PM MODI SAID:</h2>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">𝐏𝐌 𝐌𝐨𝐝𝐢 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐏𝐌 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐚𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢 𝐡𝐢𝐬 “𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫.” 🤝🇮🇳🇯🇵 PM Modi doesn’t just strengthen diplomatic ties. 𝐇𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐬… <a href="https://t.co/r9dRer6Swu">pic.twitter.com/r9dRer6Swu</a>&mdash; BJP (@BJP4India) <a href="https://x.com/BJP4India/status/2072653047914791291?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

In response, the Japan PM cheerfully said that she agreed with PM Modi. Beginning with a smile and a ‘namaste’, Takaichi said that they are brother and sister who are on the same page when they talk about issues in the world and she is very happy to be in India.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"><a href="https://x.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WATCH</a> | Delhi: During press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi says, &quot;You called me a beautiful younger sister, Prime Minister Modi but at, the small meeting before the big meeting, we we confirmed that we are on the same page and develop… <a href="https://t.co/VsIG9QeGil">pic.twitter.com/VsIG9QeGil</a>&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://x.com/ANI/status/2072596642105295216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2026</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-pm-modi-japan-pm-sanae-takaichi-exchange-warm-handshake-as-india-japan-summit-begins-what-it-signifies-1782968755332">Watch: PM Modi, Japan PM Sanae Takaichi exchange warm handshake as India-Japan summit begins: What it signifies</a><h2>Real reason for PM Modi's ‘younger sister’ remark</h2>While PM Modi is known for making personal rapport with world leaders, there is a side story to why exactly he called Takaichi “younger sister.” Though, Takaichi succeeded Shigeru Ishiba as Prime Minister of Japan in 2025, the first woman PM of Japan considers herself as a political successor of late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. He was her primary political mentor and the architect of the conservative ideology in Japanese polics - that she asserts via her vision. Abe was assassinated on July 8, 2022 in Nara, the constituency of Takaichi.&nbsp;Now, for those who don't know, Abe and Modi shared an exceptional persona bond and it was under him that India-Japan relations flourished. Abe visited India four times - more than any other Japanese PM. While his two visits came during the tenure of former late PM Manmohan Singh, he visited twice after Modi came to power in 2014. His landmark visits included delivering the iconic "Confluence of the Two Seas" address to the Indian Parliament in 2007. In 2015, Modi took him to Varanasi and they witnessed the Ganga Aarti and then signed the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train agreement.&nbsp;The relation between the two extended far beyond official diplomacy. Even during Singh's tenure when Abe visited India, he met Modi as Gujarat's Chief Minister. Modi and Abe's 8-km roadshow in Ahmedabad in 2017 became iconoc as it was the first time an Indian PM was holding such an event with a foreign leader. Then again in 2016, the duo was pictured riding the Shinkansen bullet train together in Japan, showcasing their bond beyond diplomacy. Even when Abe left office, they shared personal friendship. In recognition of his contribution to bilateral ties, India conferred the Padma Vibhushan on Abe in 2021. Following his assassination in 2022, India observed a national day of mourning, with Modi penning an emotional blog calling him a “best friend.” PM Modi also flew to Tokyo to attend his state funeral.&nbsp;Thus, Modi calling Takaichi his ‘younger sister’ is his tribute to his late friend Abe - who is a political mentor to Takaichi.&nbsp;

PM Modi's reference to Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi as his "little sister" stemmed from a private conversation about the late Shinzo Abe. Takaichi said she regarded Abe as an elder brother and, given Abe's close bond with Modi, now looked to the Indian Prime Minister as her elder brother too.

Japan PM Sanae Takaichi on Thursday (July 2) met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on her first official visit to the country after becoming her country's first woman PM. Takaichi and Modi's bilateral meeting paved way for a new era of Japan-India relations with a 16-point roadmap that includes collaboration in defence, critical minerals, energy security and artificial intelligence. The meeting also resulted in Japan's commitment of JPY 10 trillion (approximately ₹5.5 lakh crore) in private investment into India over the next decade. As the two leaders issued a press statement, the moment of PM Modi calling Takaichi “beautiful younger sister” went viral. Why India and Japan are betting big on clean hydrogen and green ammonia | WION Decodes WATCH WHAT PM MODI SAID:

PM Modi's reference to Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi as his "little sister" stemmed from a private conversation about the late Shinzo Abe. Takaichi said she regarded Abe as an elder brother and, given Abe's close bond with Modi, now looked to the Indian Prime Minister as her elder brother too.

Why did PM Modi call Japan's PM Sanae Takaichi his 'younger sister'? REAL reason is...

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Watch: Several missing, roads crack open after powerful 7.1-magnitude quake hits Japan

Why did PM Modi call Japan's PM Sanae Takaichi his 'younger sister'?