An AEON Mall shopping center in Kumamoto Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, exploded just 45 days after reopening following internal renovations.
[Yuko / Resident of Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan: It felt like a massive explosion went off right by my ear. I didn't even know if it was an earthquake, but the sound was so loud it hurt my ears.]
In Japan, large shopping malls are utilized as shelters during natural disasters like earthquakes or typhoons because of their spacious areas and food supplies.
The AEON Group has also signed disaster response agreements with some 200 local governments, and during the strong earthquake in 2016, it opened its parking lots to evacuees who had been sleeping in cars.
Japanese society is in disarray given that such a shelter exploded, resulting in seven deaths so far.
It is suspected that gas pipes were damaged by the earthquake's impact, causing a large volume of gas to leak and ignite an explosion. While the AEON Group explained that gas supply is automatically cut off when tremors occur, it has launched inspections of gas facilities across its shopping malls nationwide.
[Yoshida / AEON Group Representative (Yesterday): Since we have been operating AEON Malls, there has never been an accident related to the gas supplied. Such an accident did not happen even during the Great East Japan Earthquake.]
At a Nippon Paper Industries plant, a 100-meter-tall smokestack snapped in half and collapsed onto an office building, killing eight people.
Japanese media report that both the building and the smokestack were built with seismic designs.
However, experts point out that if the degree of shaking exceeds the manageable limit, or if tremors occur in the middle of the smokestack rather than at its base, vulnerable parts can snap.
Consequently, calls are growing to re-evaluate seismic standards for large smokestacks and tower-shaped facilities.
Amid ongoing emergency recovery efforts for earthquake damage, the death toll has risen to 34, with some 10,000 residents continuing life in evacuation centers.
Seven Dead at Japanese Mall: Its Unexpected Identity Spreads "Eerie" Anxiety (July 30, 2026, 8 News)
Reported by Kim Yong-tae | Written by Choi Yoon-seo | Video Edited by Kim Byung-jik | Produced by SBS Digital News
※
Copying, redistribution, and unauthorized use in AI training are strictly prohibited.