Japan's PM says rescuers in 'race against time' after powerful earthquake
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake has struck Japan's Kumamoto region, causing significant damage to infrastructure and trapping people in a collapsed shopping mall. Rescue operations are underway as officials describe the situation as a race against time.
Why it matters
Major natural disasters in Japan have significant humanitarian and economic implications, requiring large-scale emergency response coordination.
Bullet train services and some airport operations remained suspended and damage was still being assessed a day after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon.
It remained unclear how many people were missing.
Japan's Self-Defence Forces were joining rescue workers in the search and rescue operations. Firefighters from Taiwan were also arriving to help with the effort.
"There are people who are still waiting to be rescued, and it's a race against time," Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said. "We will go all-out to find and rescue as many people as we can."
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