Japan

Tokyo (Rajeev Sharma): A powerful earthquake that struck southwestern Japan has claimed at least 13 lives, triggering widespread destruction, disrupting infrastructure, and prompting a large-scale emergency response. The 7.1-magnitude quake, which hit on Tuesday afternoon, caused buildings to collapse, sparked fires, and forced thousands of households into darkness. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed the death toll on Wednesday as rescue teams continued searching for survivors in the worst-affected areas. One of the most severe incidents occurred at a shopping mall in Kashima, where a suspected gas explosion caused significant structural damage after the building had been evacuated. According to…

Japan (Rajeev Sharma): A late-night earthquake off Japan’s northern coastline sent shockwaves across multiple prefectures on Monday, injuring dozens and prompting urgent tsunami advisories that remained in place for several hours. The magnitude 7.5 tremor, which hit shortly after 11 p.m., caused widespread alarm as residents fled homes, hotels and coastal areas in the dark. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said the quake originated beneath the Pacific seabed roughly 80 kilometers northeast of Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture. Although the tsunami that followed was relatively small—reaching about 70 centimeters in Kuji, Iwate Prefecture—authorities stressed that even low-level surges can pose risks…