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The death toll climbed to 34 from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan that set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, the Kumamoto prefectural government said on Friday. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan's southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. Officials said 34 deaths had been confirmed as related to the disaster, with one more death still under investigation. On Thursday authorities said more than 80 people had been injured, five of them seriously. Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Friday, including at the site of the collapsed mall.
Rural communities in southwestern Japan were struggling to get their lives back to normal Thursday, two days after a powerful earthquake set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, killing at least 23 people. Time was running out to find survivors, as rescuers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, where the magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Tuesday. The number of those missing was unclear. The quake left at least 63 people injured, five of them seriously, the Kumamoto prefectural government said. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, speaking to reporters Thursday, gave a higher number for the death toll at 28. That came from a police tally, he said, which includes cases still under investigation. Some of those cases may later turn out to be unrelated to the earthquake. Survivors spoke about coming home and desperately pulling family members out of the wreckage. Some had suffered injuries and were rushed to
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said 13 people have been found dead after a powerful quake shook part of southwestern Japan and rescue work was continuing Wednesday morning for the missing. A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon. Takaichi said many other people were injured or still missing as rescue work continued overnight.
An earthquake registering a preliminary magnitude of 7.1 shook Kumamoto on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu late Tuesday afternoon and a tsunami advisory was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. The quake occurred at the depth of 10 km (6 miles) below the sea surface, JMA said. No damage or injuries were immediately reported after the 4:29 pm quake. The quake occurred in the western region of Kumamoto, about 900 km (540 miles) southwest of Tokyo. The US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no risk of a tsunami beyond local coasts.
Japan on Friday enacted a controversial new law prohibiting desecration of its national flag, a key right-wing agenda pushed by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Opponents say it's an attempt to intimidate the public and silence criticism of her government. The law punishes publicly damaging or defacing the national flag, known as "hinomaru", including livestreaming of the scene in ways that would offend the feelings of others. Opponents say the ambiguous law only intimidates people from using the flag in art, protests or other forms of expression, and could violate constitutional freedom of speech. Japan has a law to punish vandalising foreign national flags, mainly those displayed at diplomatic facilities, to avoid international disputes. Takaichi says Japan's lack of a law criminalising disrespectful handling of its own national flag is "wrong". Today, the flag is widely seen at athletic events, government offices and international events. At Imperial Palace events, well-wishers w