Kumamoto International Archive

Archive of the Kumamoto International Facebook group, 2011–present.

Kirk here. Several reports in English mentioned that the temperature in Kumamoto City rose above 40C yesterday but I couldn't find one that mentioned that it was a record, as many of the Japanese-language reports did. Oh, and I didn't notice until just now that the city broke the all-time record two days in a row! Looks like global warming to me.
--- start translation ---
Kumamoto Prefecture Records Its First-Ever Day of Extreme Heat; 40.0°C in Kumamoto City
At 2:24 p.m. today, August 3, the temperature in Kumamoto City reached a high of 40.3°C, marking the first time on record that Kumamoto Prefecture has experienced a day of such extreme heat.
Warm air aloft, intense sunshine, and easterly winds that make it difficult for cooling sea breezes to reach the area have combined to produce dangerously high temperatures that could be life-threatening.
Kumamoto City had only just set a new heat record yesterday, August 2, when the temperature reached 38.9°C—the highest recorded since observations began in 1890. The city has therefore broken its all-time temperature record on two consecutive days.
--- end translation ---
【速報】熊本市で40.3℃　熊本県で史上初の酷暑日(気象予報士日直主任)
今日3日、午後2時24分、熊本市では最高気温が40.3℃に達し、熊本県で観測史上初めての酷暑日となりました。

Joe Tomei here. Alex and a few others have asked about what needs to be donated in terms of the disaster response. I spoke to Andrew Mitchell (I hope I'm tagging the right Andrew) and some people here at Gakuen and the basic answer is there is no need for supplies from the outside, but you are encouraged to donate to the Red Cross. This is my speculation, but I suspect there were disaster supplies laid in for this and challenge isn't getting supplies, it is delivering them to the people in need. However, when the disaster response is over, I imagine that restocking will be important. I realize that is not as satisfying as being able to donate, but one thing I appreciate here in Japan is the kaizen mindset where making small, continuous, positive changes are focussed on to drive long-term improvement.

Kirk here. I haven't been able to post much about the castle so this article is welcome. It includes a YouTube video of a stone wall crumbling. That said, even though the Smithsonian is a reputable institution, I can't endorse the article without reservation. For one, the title is sensationalistic and oversimplifies what happened: "This 400-Year-Old Impenetrable Japanese Castle That Survived a Samurai Siege Just Crumbled in an Earthquake." No, the "castle" didn't just crumble. There are probably other issues that I haven't noticed yet but, even so, it has some good links to other material so I'd recommend checking it out if you are interested in the castle.
This 400-Year-Old Impenetrable Japanese Castle That Survived a Samurai Siege Just Crumbled in an Earthquake
In 1877, a force rebelling against Emperor Meiji attacked Kumamoto Castle on Japan's southern Kyushu island

Kirk here. Translation is not a simple matter. 負けません (makemasen) is translated as "will not lose." But this usage of "makeru" is not the win/loss record of a sports team; it's about being "beaten" or "defeated" by the quakes, either of which sound a bit more natural in English. Or, you could say "Kumamoto will never give up." I imagine there are lots of other free translations that might work.
Earlier, I asked if people were using AI in the quake and most of the responses were negative. My own sense, however, is that the more powerful paid-for models (not what you get for free) have improved tremendously. ChatGPT 5.6 Sol (High) offered this analysis:
--- start quote ---
“Kumamoto won’t lose” is a close literal translation and works as a slogan, but in English it can prompt the question “lose what?” Here, 負けません means something closer to “will not be defeated,” “will not be beaten,” or “will not give in.”
For a caption, I might write:
As earthquakes continue to strike Kumamoto Prefecture, a cosplayer at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya over the weekend holds a sign reading, “I came from Kumamoto. Kumamoto won’t give in.”
--- end quote ---
Which brings me to my take on AI and translation in the media:
Simply throwing something at AI and then publishing it without reviewing it is irresponsible. But, now that we have AI, assuming that your linguistic skill is adequate (when it isn't) and not taking the time to run a translation by AI to check for problems (e.g. "lose" vs. "be defeated") before publishing is also irresponsible.
https://japantoday.com/category/picture-of-the-day/kumamoto's-unbreakable-spirit
P.S. If you're interested, my previous post about AI and the comments I received are here:
https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid029fXHhpf9chd4U9rFyekLw1LwfAdsGkFELFt7Wt6jJB2b8MZGrqqKz2E8QtiQGpc2l
Kumamoto's unbreakable spirit
As quakes continue to hit Kumamoto Prefecture, this cosplayer at the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on the weekend holds a sign that says "I came from Kumamoto. Kumamoto won't lose."

This disaster has made me aware of Vietnam+ (the website publishing this article I'm sharing here), which publishes in several languages, and VIET JO, which publishes in Japanese. -- Kirk
Vietnamese community in Japan gradually returns to normal after earthquake disaster
The cities of Yatsushiro and Uki were among the hardest-hit areas. Around 1,000 Vietnamese nationals live in Yatsushiro and about 350 in Uki, most of them technical interns and specified skilled workers employed in agriculture.

Staying in a car for a prolonged period of time, even when think you can keep it running with the air conditioning on, can be very dangerous in this heat. -- Kirk
Possible 1st disaster-related death reported after Kumamoto quake - The Mainichi
KUMAMOTO, Japan (Kyodo) -- A woman in her 70s, who according to local officials had been sleeping in her car following Tuesday's powerful earthquake i

"Authorities warned that hot weather is expected to persist in the affected areas and said they will strengthen measures to prevent heatstroke at evacuation centers by accelerating the deployment of portable spot coolers and increasing drinking water supplies."
I've heard that the temperature may climb to 40C (104F) tomorrow. And, I don't have an article to share but I've heard that one person as died as a result of being in an overheated car.
Take care!
-- Kirk
Death toll from Japan's Kumamoto Earthquake rises to 38
TOKYO -- The death toll from a powerful earthquake that struck Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture has risen to 38, the prefectural government said Sunday.

The dashcam video is worth a view if you haven't seen it before. On the other hand, I've been disappointed by how some TV programs force you to watch it over and over in the course of a discussion about the explosion. --- Kirk
Dashcam shows post-quake blast that killed 7 at Kumamoto mall | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis
A quake survivor recorded the moment an explosion ripped through a shopping mall in Kashima, Kumamoto Prefecture, where at least seven people were killed and the search continues for survivors.

I posted about this earlier, I think. This video story relays the poignant story of the victim's older brother coming to Kumamoto after hearing of his brother's passing:
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20260802_01/
And here's an Kyodo News story about the same tragedy:
https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/81297
-- Kirk

I think long-time readers of the page are familiar with TOKUDA Ryunosuke and his animal hospital. If you're interested, you can see previous posts about his hospital and the many kinds of good works he has been involved in here.
https://www.facebook.com/profile/100064554018003/search/?q=Ryunosuke
-- Kirk
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/dogs-allowed-animal-hospital-opens-doors-japan-quake-survivors-and-their-pets-6292486
Dogs allowed: Animal hospital opens doors to Japan quake survivors and their pets
Ryunosuke Animal Hospital in downtown Kumamoto, which was jolted by a powerful earthquake this week, has converted a space into temporary housing for evacuees, with separate rooms for owners of cats and dogs.

This is Atsuko.
I'd like to share a page from the Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture that provides information about gas stations.
Please stay safe, take care of one another, and avoid unnecessary travel if possible. (*•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー
On the evening of August 1, information became available online about gas stations that are operating in the Yatsushiro area and throughout Kumamoto Prefecture. If you have been affected by the earthquake, please use this site to find nearby gas stations that are open. More stations are expected to resume operations in the coming days.
Kumamoto Prefecture is working together with the national government to secure a stable fuel supply. Knowing which stations are open may help everyone feel a little more at ease and avoid unnecessary rushes to refuel.
For those affected by the disaster (from Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry):
Even during power outages, some gas stations equipped with emergency generators are able to continue providing fuel. Information on the operating status of these stations is available at the link below.
Service Station Search (including emergency fuel stations):
https://www.enecho-ss.meti.go.jp/b/enecho/

The article contains several updates on the scale of the tragedy. For example . . .
--- start quote ---
At another hard-hit site in Kumamoto Prefecture, a chimney collapsed at the Nippon Paper Industries factory in Yatsushiro city, trapping 11 employees. Nine have since been confirmed dead and two were rescued, officials said.
--- end quote ---
-- Kirk
Japan ends rescue operation at a mall that collapsed after a strong quake
Authorities have ended a massive search-and-rescue operation at a collapsed shopping mall in southwest Japan following a powerful earthquake that killed 34 people earlier this week.

Post

May be of particular interest to anyone in the area. -- Kirk
Disaster-hit supermarket offers supplies from tent in Kumamoto Pref. - The Mainichi
HIKAWA, Kumamoto -- Two days after a major earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture on July 28, local supermarkets are battling challenging conditions to

Kirk here.
The URL of the page you see is:
https://www.moj.go.jp/isa/support/portal/01_00612.html?lang=en
Interestingly, and somewhat sadly, the only notice about this "information for foreigners" page that I have seen so far was in the following Japanese article:
出入国在留管理庁、令和8年熊本地震に関する外国人生活支援特設ページを開設
https://japan.storm.mg/articles/1152979
Kind of ironic that you have to be able to read Japanese in order to find useful information in English for foreigners, isn't it? This is not my first time to run into something like this. It seems that press announcements about establishing some sort of service for foreigners often get picked up by the Japanese media like this before I see them in English-language media.

This article features an interview with Davina Putri, from Indonesia, about her experiences during and after the quake. -- Kirk
https://japantoday.com/category/national/update1-local-foreign-evacuees-support-each-other-in-quake-hit-kumamoto-town

I think the total number of deaths is now at 35. Educators out there won't be surprised to learn that some students, teachers, and school staff are among the injured. -- Kirk
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20260729-340752/

Kirk here. I got this general announcement from a reader. Here's what ChatGPT says about it, which fits my own reading.
--- Start quote from AI ---
The Immigration Services Agency says that foreign residents affected by the 2026 Kumamoto earthquake may receive special consideration for residence-status applications.
If the disaster prevented you from applying before your deadline, the immigration office may still process your application on an individual basis, even after the deadline has passed. Please consult your nearest immigration office as soon as possible.
Also, if you have temporarily moved or evacuated from your registered address, you may apply at the immigration office responsible for the area where you are currently staying.
This is not an automatic extension, so anyone affected should contact a nearby immigration office for advice.
--- End quote ---

Collection of disaster waste associated with earthquake damage.
Atsuko (*•̀ㅂ•́)و✧
https://www.city.kumamoto.jp.e.fm.hp.transer.com/kiji00372079/index.html
https://www.city.kumamoto.jp/kiji00372079/index.html
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Pets were an important issue in the 2016 quakes too. -- Kirk
Kumamoto rallies to reunite lost pets and provide refuge for animals
When natural disasters strike, pets are often among the most vulnerable and overlooked victims.