An earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.1 hit southwestern Japan on Tuesday, the country’s meteorological agency said.
The Japan Meteorological Agency urged caution over a possible tsunami following the tremor, which was centered around Kumamoto prefecture on the island of Kyushu, approximately 900 km (560 miles) from central Tokyo.
The maximum seismic intensity was estimated at 7 on a Japanese scale of 7. Shaking of that intensity makes it impossible to stand, according to the JMA. The quake halted trains, while authorities reported no irregularities at nuclear power facilities.
Kyushu is home to many factories run by chip gear and materials makers. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the go-to chipmaker for Nvidia Corp. and Apple Inc., operates a factory in Kumamoto prefecture, with a second facility under construction. Sony Group Corp. produces image sensors in Kyushu that are used in smartphones, while Tokyo Electron Ltd. makes chip tools and advanced packaging equipment in the region.
Chipmaking in particular is highly sensitive to physical shocks or disruptions in power and processes, and minor hiccups can sometimes destroy whole batches of valuable product.
TSMC said it was currently checking the situation at its plant, Kyodo reported.
This report is auto generated from the Bloomberg news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.