Japan Earthquake Damages 53 Cultural Properties in Kumamoto Prefecture
Multiple earthquakes struck off the coast of Japan, including a magnitude 4.8 quake 43 km ESE of Koseda and a magnitude 4.6 quake 79 km E of Onagawa Chō, while a prior 7.1-magnitude Japan earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture caused extensive damage to cultural properties, 38 deaths, and ongoing challenges for survivors one week later. [1] [2] [3] [4]
Recent Seismic Activity off Japan
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake occurred at a depth of 45.0 km, 43 km ESE of Koseda, Japan. [1] A magnitude 4.6 earthquake occurred at a depth of 40.4 km, 79 km E of Onagawa Chō, Japan. [2] These events followed the larger 7.1-magnitude Japan earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture. [3] The offshore quakes registered lower magnitudes than the earlier event in Kumamoto Prefecture. [1] [2] Seismic activity of this nature continues to affect regions around Japan. [3]
Overview of the Japan Earthquake in Kumamoto
The 7.1-magnitude Japan earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture last week had affected 53 cultural properties. [3] The affected assets, located in Kumamoto and neighboring Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Kagoshima prefectures, include three national treasures and 11 national important cultural properties. [3] Of the total, 48 affected properties are in Kumamoto Prefecture. [3] The disaster response is shifting from search and rescue to stabilizing survivors’ lives. [4]
Disaster response efforts continue to aid survivors one week after the Kumamoto earthquake. — Source: japantimes
Damage to Cultural Properties from Kumamoto Quake
The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture last week had affected 53 cultural properties, including those at World Heritage sites. [3] The affected assets include three national treasures and 11 national important cultural properties. [3] Of the total, 48 affected properties are in Kumamoto Prefecture. [3] At Shohinken, a centuries-old tea house with a garden in the city of Yatsushiro that is a national scenic site, a building collapsed, windows shattered and the pond water level temporarily fell. [3] The main building of the former Iseri family residence, a national registered tangible cultural property also known as a sake brewery, in the town of Hikawa, is now severely tilted. [3] Kumamoto Castle in the city of Kumamoto was battered by the earthquake amid restoration efforts following twin powerful quakes a decade ago. [3] The stone walls of the symbol of the prefecture collapsed in dozens of places, and the main tower was cracked. [3] Of World Heritage sites related to the Meiji industrial revolution, windows broke at Misumi West Port in the city of Uki and Manda Pit in the city of Arao. [3]
Casualties and Shift in Disaster Response
A week after a devastating earthquake registering shindo 7 struck Kumamoto Prefecture, the disaster response is shifting from search and rescue to stabilizing survivors’ lives and preventing disaster-related casualties. [4] The latest prefectural tally shows the death toll from the July 28 earthquake remained at 38 as of Tuesday afternoon, while 123 had been injured. [4] One is suspected to have died from heatstroke while taking refuge inside a car as temperatures in the region soared. [4] Uneven conditions across evacuation centers, where shortages of water and other essentials have been compounded by scorching summer heat, are raising fears of heatstroke and blood clots. [4]
Misinformation spreads online following the Kumamoto earthquake. — Source: japantimes
Misinformation Circulating Online
Disinformation, including artificial intelligence-generated material, has been circulating online in the aftermath of the July earthquake in Kumamoto. [5] Some social media accounts claimed the earthquake itself had never happened, dismissing shaky NHK footage as “fake.” [5] Others claimed large white clouds that hovered above the city were proof that the quake was “man-made,” with various posts on X being shared thousands of times. [5] In other languages, AI-generated images of a smoldering Aeon mall were distributed while other widely shared posts claimed the explosion at the mall, which is believed to have been caused by damaged gas pipes, was a hoax or that there was a coverup underway. [5] Politically motivated disinformation was also prevalent online, largely targeting foreign nationals. [5] The story of young Vietnamese individuals pitching in to rescue an elderly woman trapped under rubble was called fake news by conspiracy-touting far-right accounts. [5] Other accounts alleged bad behavior from foreign nationals — including robbery and arson — sharing contextless video footage of individuals sitting outside a convenience store with what accounts claimed were stolen onigiri rice balls. [5] On Threads, a man who said he had filmed the original video stated that the onigiri were emergency supplies distributed to Japanese and foreign employees affected by the quake. [5] The speedy support pledged by Taiwan to Japan in the aftermath also led to the spread of misinformation. [5] Images purporting to show a logo worn by Taiwanese support forces were widely shared by influencers on Instagram and X. [5] In reality, the patches are actually pre-order products available to buy online from a Taiwanese company that states they are donating the funds raised to the Kumamoto Disaster Relief Special Account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. [5]
Impact on Specific Landmarks and Recovery Outlook
Some buildings of Aoi Aso Shrine in the city of Hitoyoshi and Tsujunkyo Bridge in the town of Yamato, both designated as national treasures, were partly damaged. [3] Kumamoto Castle sustained collapsed stone walls and cracks to its main tower, potentially delaying its full reopening scheduled for fiscal 2052. [3] The scheduled full reopening in fiscal 2052 may be delayed. [3] The affected assets include three national treasures and 11 national important cultural properties. [3] Of the total, 48 affected properties are in Kumamoto Prefecture. [3] The 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture last week had affected 53 cultural properties. [3]
What to watch next: Observers will monitor delays to the full reopening of Kumamoto Castle scheduled for fiscal 2052 and continued efforts to address uneven conditions in evacuation centers amid heat-related risks following the Japan earthquake.
