Some local media reports that there was an explosion at the Aeon Mall in Kumamoto, following the magnitude 7.1 earthquake.
The quake hit inland on Kyushu island at 16:27 local time (07:27 GMT), with more than 150,000 people being told to move to evacuation shelters.
There was a brief tsunami warning that was lifted within the hour. Emergency services said "many people" were trapped inside the Aeon Mall in the Kumamoto region.
