Aeon says staff allowed to reenter quake-hit mall despite ban before blast

Japanese retailer Aeon Co. announced on Tuesday that employees were permitted to reenter a quake-affected shopping mall in Kumamoto Prefecture, despite a company policy prohibiting evacuees from doing so. Tragically, this decision resulted in the deaths of seven workers when a blast occurred at the facility in late July. Aeon Mall Kumamoto in Kashima allowed staff to return following the powerful earthquake, with employees seeking to retrieve personal belongings such as car keys and mobile phones and close cash registers.

The magnitude-7.1 quake, which reached the maximum level of 7 on Japan's seismic intensity scale in some areas of the southwestern prefecture on July 28, left some employees unable to return home as they commuted by car. Aeon revealed that its rules and drills had not anticipated post-evacuation scenarios involving personal belongings or employees unable to leave after commuting by car, leaving such decisions to on-site personnel.

The company acknowledged it will revise its rules to allow employees to keep valuables while working. Aeon's President Akio Yoshida stated at a press conference on July 29 that internal rules mandated evacuees to stay out of buildings. The explosion took place approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes after the devastating earthquake, at around 5:50 p.m.