Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Japan, also known as the Kobe Earthquake or the Kansai Earthquake. On January 17th, various commemorative activities were held by the affected communities to mourn the thousands of victims who lost their lives on that fateful day.
On January 17, 1995, at 5:46 in the morning, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck the Kansai region of Japan, primarily affecting areas such as Kobe City and Awaji Island in Hyogo Prefecture, as well as cities between Kobe and Osaka. The disaster resulted in the loss of 6,434 lives, with 43,792 individuals injured. Nearly 640,000 houses were destroyed, 7,574 structures were burned, and approximately 320,000 people were left homeless. It was the largest urban earthquake in Japan since the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923.
Despite the significant loss of life caused by this strong earthquake, it also left behind valuable lessons for effective disaster risk prevention. Following the disaster, Japan established two major disaster response systems: the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) and the disaster message phone number “171”. It is worth noting that at the time of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, Japan did not have emergency rescue teams in place, resulting in some injured individuals not receiving timely medical treatment.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of natural disasters and the importance of being prepared to respond swiftly and effectively in times of crisis. The lessons learned from this tragedy have contributed to the improvement of Japan’s disaster response capabilities and the development of measures to better protect the lives and well-being of its citizens in the face of future calamities.