Southwestern Japan suffered an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on Tuesday, causing at least 18 fatalities and 62 injuries. The counts of both dead and wounded increased throughout the day as rescue workers and military forces searched through the rubble for survivors. Eyewitnesses told the Associated Press (AP) that the gas explosion at the mall felt almost as powerful as the earthquake itself. Yoshida noted that the mall was damaged in a 2016 quake and then extensively renovated to meet Japan’s tougher earthquake standards. Taiwan and Japan are true friends who have overcome hardships together.