Japan Deploys Emergency Troops After Major Earthquake

Felix Umland, a German photography student, was staying on the 13th floor of a hotel in Kagoshima, approximately 175km (109 miles) from the earthquake’s epicenter.

“I just heard glasses flying in the kitchen and everything began to break. There is not much you can do; it is a pretty hopeless situation. You look around waiting for it to stop,” he told BBC’s Newshour programme.

“In Japan, buildings are built to move with the earth, but it feels like the building beneath you turns to liquid. It is a very surreal experience. The solid ground suddenly transformed into a mass that was shifting,” Umland said.

The International Atomic Energy Agency stated on X that the earthquake “caused no damage or safety issues at the Sendai Nuclear Power Plant, located around 100km (62 miles) from the epicenter, and that it remains in operation”.

“The IAEA will continue to monitor the situation,” it added.

First responders have been deployed, including Japan’s self-defense force, fire services, and coast guard, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed.

“We urge residents in areas where the shaking was particularly severe to pay close attention to evacuation information issued by local authorities via radio, television, and the internet, and to act calmly,” he said.

Takaichi confirmed that 3,600 soldiers would be deployed to assist with disaster recovery as tremors continued. Japan’s Meteorological Agency has reported more than 60 aftershocks ranging in magnitude from 1 to 4.

Japan is one of the world’s most seismically active nations, experiencing roughly 1,500 earthquakes annually.

In 2016, 278 people were killed in a series of powerful earthquakes in Kumamoto, NHK reported at the time.

Additional reporting by Jaroslav Lukiv

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