The quake struck the Kumamoto area on the southern main island of Kyushu at 4.27pm local time on July 28, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. It put the magnitude at 7.1, while the United States Geological Survey later revised its own estimate to 6.8. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on July 29 that the rescue effort was “a race against time”. Evacuation orders covered some 222,250 people across three cities and three towns, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. Sony said work at its Kumamoto plant remained halted, and Renesas Electronics suspended two factories after finding cracks and water leaks.