Powerful M7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, registering the maximum shindo 7 intensity on Japan's scale and prompting a brief tsunami advisory.
At least 40–50 people have been injured with no confirmed deaths yet, and more than 150,000 residents have been told to evacuate.
Damage is extensive.
Elevated sections of the Kyushu Expressway near Yatsushiro Interchange have shifted and separated at expansion joints.
JR Kyushu services, including the Shinkansen, are suspended and Kumamoto Airport is closed.
Around 48,000 households have lost power, and Kumamoto Castle's stone walls have partially collapsed.