Skip to content

Weekday Japan business intelligence for finance professionals.

Join the list
Tokyo Brief東 京 ブ リ ー フJapan's day, wrapped and delivered by morning.

Article

AEON Kyushu to Book ¥1.75bn Earthquake Charge, With More Bills Still Coming

AEON Kyushu has decided to record a ¥1.75bn quarterly charge for Kumamoto earthquake repairs and lost stock, reopened 18 of 20 affected stores, and says further costs and the full-year hit are still being assessed.

By Tokyo Brief DeskSep 28, 20262 min readAEON KYUSHU CO., LTD.2653
Workers repairing a damaged supermarket aisle, with scaffolding and restocked shelving visible after earthquake damage.

AEON Kyushu Co., Ltd. told the Tokyo Stock Exchange on September 28 that it has decided to record ¥1.75bn in earthquake-related costs as a special loss for the quarter, and that the figure is only a first installment.

The retailer, listed on the TSE Standard market under code 2653, said the charge covers equipment repairs and damaged merchandise identified so far following the Reiwa 8 Kumamoto Earthquake. It will be recorded in the second quarter of the fiscal year ending February 2027. AEON Kyushu said it plans to record any further earthquake-related costs still under investigation separately from the third quarter onward, meaning the eventual total is not yet known.

Stores reopening, two still shut

The earthquake temporarily halted operations at 20 stores in Kumamoto Prefecture, excluding three cycle-specialty shops inside general supermarkets. AEON Kyushu said it prioritized restoring food and daily-goods sections first, describing that role as a retailer's duty to serve as a local lifeline. As of September 28, 18 of those stores had reopened.

AEON Kyushu Store Status After the Kumamoto Earthquake
Status as of September 28, 2026, per AEON Kyushu's disclosure.
StatusStores
Initially suspended (excluding 3 cycle-specialty shops)20
Reopened as of September 2818
Still closed (tenant stores in AEON Mall Kumamoto and AEON Mall Uki)2

Two tenant stores inside AEON Mall Kumamoto and AEON Mall Uki remain closed. AEON Kyushu said it is continuing discussions with relevant parties on next steps, tied to how the host facilities recover.

A sensitive backdrop

The same notice offered condolences over deaths connected to an explosion at AEON Mall Kumamoto and a ceiling collapse at AEON Mall Uki, and apologized to bereaved families and injured people tied to those incidents. The company did not give casualty figures in this notice, and gave no further description of the two incidents beyond naming them.

What is still unresolved

AEON Kyushu was explicit that the ¥1.75bn figure does not represent the earthquake's full cost to the group. It said the full-year earnings impact for the fiscal year ending February 2027 is still under review, and it will disclose promptly if that impact is judged material.