The Kumamoto earthquake aftermath dominated editorial priorities for a second day, with the Aeon Mall explosion as the central story. By morning, Prime Minister Takaichi confirmed 13 deaths, including two women at the mall. Editors then shifted focus to the mall's gas leak, with Sankei reporting a gas smell during rescue operations. Aeon's president held a press conference at 4:30 PM, apologizing and revealing four employees were missing; the death toll at the mall later rose to four. New dashcam footage of the explosion moment was widely published. Aftershocks, including a magnitude 5-weak quake, continued to rattle the region. Supply chain disruptions affecting TSMC and Toyota were noted by Nikkei. Hokkaido's population falling below 5 million and Japan's population dropping below 120 million were secondary stories.