A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, and some facilities were damaged.

According to the Japan Meteorological Agency, at 16:27 local time on July 28, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck the Kumamoto region in Kumamoto Prefecture at a depth of about 10 kilometers, with a maximum seismic intensity of 7 observed in Uki City and Hikawa Town, Kumamoto Prefecture. Following the earthquake, the agency briefly issued a tsunami advisory for the Ariake Sea and Yatsushiro Sea, which was lifted within two hours.

The earthquake caused damage to some local buildings, roads, and power facilities, and some manufacturing enterprises in the Kyushu region evacuated personnel or temporarily suspended production. According to SMM, as of now, Sumitomo Metal Mining’s Toyo Smelter (Toyo Smelter) remains in normal operation; whether other major copper smelters in Japan have been affected is still to be confirmed, and SMM will continue to monitor the situation.