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SCMP’s Asia desk

Japan’s Aeon Mall Kumamoto was rebuilt to withstand earthquakes after it was damaged in strong quakes in April 2016. Its June reopening was meant to be a fresh start, the gleaming building a symbol of rebirth for the mall and residents of Kashima town.
Then Tuesday’s magnitude 7.1 earthquake shook this new-found confidence.
“When this quake hit, I immediately knew the epicentre was close,” 30-year-old Nishiyama told Agence France-Presse. “I didn’t think this was going to happen here again.”
Two quakes – at magnitude 6.5 and 7.3 – on April 14 and 15, 2016, killed 273 people in Kumamoto. Aeon Mall Kumamoto, a hive of social activity in the car and semiconductor chip manufacturing hub, took a severe hit then.
In the aftermath, it started reinforcement work under the slogan of creating a “disaster-resistant shopping mall”, The Asia Business Daily reported. The ceilings were strengthened to better resist seismic movements while lighting and equipment fixtures were relocated to minimise the risk of dropping.
On June 13, the sprawling complex – the largest commercial facility in Kumamoto prefecture with over 200 shops, a food court and a cinema complex – reopened after a makeover to mark the 10th anniversary of the quake. It promised to be a place where generations could “share smiles”.
The latest earthquake struck just 45 days later – and the building collapsed again.

A male shop employee was just about to evacuate at the time. “The blast sounded like the building had been hit by an artillery shell,” he told the Asahi newspaper newspaper. He said he saw billowing white smoke and heard the buzzing of what sounded like live electricity.
Four bodies have been pulled out of the rubble, all believed to be the store’s employees. “We have pulled out 10 people. Of them, four were confirmed dead. Another is without vital signs. Another five have suffered severe and minor injuries,” an official from the disaster management office in the country’s southwestern region told Agence France-Presse on Thursday.
Residents reacted with disbelief. “I was here. I was just here. It’s like I narrowly escaped the danger,” Fumihiko Matsuura told the news agency. The 56-year-old businessman had gone to the mall to watch the latest Toy Story movie only a week or so ago.
On Wednesday, Aeon president and CEO Akio Yoshida apologised for the deaths at the mall. “I seriously take the situation in which precious lives were lost and deeply apologise to the bereaved families,” he said, as quoted by Jiji Press.
Aeon said that about 3,000 customers were in the shopping centre when the earthquake struck. All the customers and most of the 2,700 workers were evacuated by 5pm, about 30 minutes after the quake.

The explosion that occurred 50 minutes later is believed to have occurred along a supply route from an LPG gas tank outside the building to the restaurant area.
Yoshida said a gas leak was the likely cause of the explosion. “While placing top priority on saving lives, we will make our best efforts to identify the cause by sharing information with fire authorities.”
One expert says it was not the earthquake but the subsequent explosion that caused the most damage.
The mall appeared to have withstood the initial earthquake “reasonably well”, Robert Geller, professor emeritus of seismology at the University of Tokyo, told CNA.
“The building was designed to withstand earthquakes, but not explosions,” he said, adding that while proper design and planning could significantly reduce earthquake damage, “something unexpected [can] happen, unfortunately”.


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Japanese mall is rebuilt to withstand earthquakes. Then it collapses again

A rescue worker walks in front of Aeon mall in Kashima, Kumamoto, which was damaged by an explosion following an earthquake, on Wednesday. Photo: AP

Rescue workers conduct a search operation at the damaged Aeon shopping centre on Thursday after a 7.1 earthquake struck Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Reuters

The collapsed worship hall of Yatsushiro shrine seen on Wednesday after a 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture. Photo: Reuters

The damaged Aeon mall in Kashima, Kumamoto, as seen on Wednesday after an earthquake struck southwestern Japan the previous day. Photo: AFP

Journalists gather outside the damaged Aeon mall in Kashima, Kumamoto, on Wednesday after an earthquake struck southwestern Japan the previous day. Photo: AFP

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Four bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the Aeon mall after an earthquake hit Kumamoto, followed by an explosion on Tuesday


Four bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the Aeon mall after an earthquake hit Kumamoto, followed by an explosion on Tuesday.


Earthquakes

Natural disasters

University of Tokyo (Japan)

Japanese mall is rebuilt to withstand earthquakes. Then it collapses again

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Four bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the Aeon mall after an earthquake hit Kumamoto, followed by an explosion on Tuesday

Four bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the Aeon mall after an earthquake hit Kumamoto, followed by an explosion on Tuesday