Kyushu Railway Company

A powerful magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan at 4:27 p.m. local time on Tuesday, July 28, injuring several people, sparking fires, and cutting power to more than 48,000 households. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported the quake's epicenter at a depth of about 10 kilometers, with maximum seismic intensity of 7 recorded in Uki and Hikawa towns — the highest level on Japan's intensity scale. This marks the first time such intensity has been observed since the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024. On the travel front, Aso Kumamoto Airport closed its runway from 4:40 p.m. with no reopening time set, while JR Kyushu suspended all train services, including the entire Shinkansen high-speed rail network. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued a tsunami advisory for the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea, later lifted, and warned residents to be alert for building collapses and landslides, while monitoring for strong aftershocks in the coming days. The Sendai and Genkai nuclear power plants reported no abnormalities.

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan at 4:27 p.m. local time on Tuesday, July 28, leaving several people injured, sparking fires, and cutting power to over 48,000 households. The Japan Meteorological Agency reported that the shaking reached a maximum intensity of 7 on the Japanese scale in Uki and Hikawa, the highest level on the country's seismic scale and the first time this level has been recorded since the Noto Peninsula earthquake in January 2024. Meanwhile, Aso Kumamoto Airport ordered the closure of its runways from 4:40 p.m. with no reopening time set, and JR Kyushu suspended all train services, including all Shinkansen lines. Kyushu Electric Power confirmed that no abnormalities were detected at the Sendai and Genkai nuclear power plants.

JR Kyushu President Yoji Furumiya reported on the 22nd that full-scale restoration work will begin on the section between Yatsushiro and Hitoyoshi on the Hisatsu Line in Kumamoto Prefecture, which was damaged by torrential rains in July 2020. Aiming to resume operations around fiscal 2033, work to remove damaged bridges is scheduled to start as early as September or October.

Sales of the Seishun 18 Ticket in fiscal 2025 fell to approximately 240,000, dropping below the pandemic-hit fiscal 2020 level, according to an inquiry with JR Kyushu. After recovering to 620,000 in fiscal 2023, sales plummeted to 420,000 in fiscal 2024 and 240,000 in fiscal 2025, with the drastic revision of usage conditions from winter 2024 seen as the main cause. The changes restricted use to five or three consecutive days and prohibited sharing among multiple people. JR East cited compatibility with automatic ticket gates as the reason, but user backlash has been strong. An online petition calling for a return to the previous system gathered 33,946 signatures, yet JR East refused to accept it. Economic journalist Izumi Kushida points to a gap between the needs perceived by the JR Group and actual user needs, warning that this could undermine the ticket's role in cultivating future rail passengers.