Kumamoto Castle Hit Again as 7.1 Quake Strikes Southern Japan

A 7.1 earthquake struck Japan's Kumamoto region on July 28, 2026, injuring at least 50 and damaging thousands of buildings. Kumamoto Castle, still being restored from a deadly 2016 quake, sustained fresh damage. The recurrence in the same tectonic corridor — the fracture zone between shifting plates — raises questions about Kyushu's seismic cycle and aftershock risk.