Japan AEON Mall Blast: Two Workers Reentered Building Before Explosion

21 hours ago 8

August 4, 2026 | 09:11 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Two young employees who died in the explosion at AEON Mall in Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan, after last week's powerful earthquake had returned to the building on instructions from their employer to secure the store's cash, according to company officials.

The revelation has intensified public scrutiny over workplace safety during disasters after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Kumamoto on July 28, triggering a fatal explosion inside the shopping mall about an hour later.

The two women were among seven people killed at Aeon Mall and 38 fatalities linked to the earthquake. Authorities also reported more than 4,600 damaged buildings, while over 8,000 residents remained in evacuation shelters across the prefecture.

As reported by Japan Today, executives from Habita Inc., which operates the variety store where the victims worked, acknowledged that both employees had been instructed to return inside the mall after initially evacuating. One of the victims was identified as 22-year-old Kurumi Otake, while the identity of the second employee has not been publicly disclosed.

Habita sales director Yuse Koji admitted the decision was a grave mistake.

"The instructions given at the time were inappropriate, and I truly regret them," Yuse said, adding that the company extends its deepest apologies to the victims' families.

Company representatives attended Otake's wake on Sunday, where they apologized to her family and presented a written account of the sequence of events. Habita said it is considering further measures, including an internal investigation into the incident.

Family members described Otake as a responsible young woman devoted to supporting her family following her father's death three years ago.

"My daughter isn't coming back," her mother said through tears during the wake.

A male relative recalled that Otake had a "strong sense of responsibility" and said the family had shared a joyful gathering only a few months earlier.

According to the BBC, Otake encountered a relative outside Aeon Mall shortly after the earthquake and explained that she had to return because her employer instructed her to move money from the cash register into a safe. The relative later said the tragedy might have been avoided had she not been asked to reenter the building.

"If she hadn't gone back inside the store at that time, Kurumi would still be with her family today," the relative said.

Witness accounts indicate that while most shoppers and staff evacuated immediately after the earthquake, several employees remained inside the building when the explosion occurred at approximately 5:50 p.m.

Speaking to reporters after the wake, Yuse acknowledged the devastating consequences of the decision.

"Looking back now, it was not worth a life," he said.

Habita, founded in 1976, operates more than 10 stores across Japan's Kyushu region. The company said it would cooperate with any investigations and review its emergency response procedures.

The cause of the explosion remains under investigation. Aeon Co. previously stated that it was unclear why several people were still inside the shopping mall when the blast occurred.

Read: Japan AEON Mall Explodes After M7.1 Earthquake, Killing Three

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Japan AEON Mall Explodes After M7.1 Earthquake, Killing Three

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