Japan remembers 6,400 victims of Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on 30th anniversary

The 1995 Hansin-Awaji Earthquake in Kobe

By Emmanuel Akyereko

Japan is marking the 30th anniversary of the great Hanshin-Awaji Daishinsai which claimed the lives of over 6,400 people.

The devastating earthquake, which struck at the magnitude of 7.3, came upon Western Japan on the dawn of Tuesday, 17th January 1995, causing massive havoc in Kobe and towns around Western Japan.

At a park in Kobe on Friday dawn, scores of Japanese placed lanterns on the ground to form the date 1-17, and the Japanese word “yorisou,” which means sympathy.

Sympathisers observed a moment of silence at exactly 5:46 JST, the exact time the tragedy hit Japan 30 years ago.

In the wake of the tremor, the East Asian country has committed over $100 million in rebuilding Kobe and its surrounding towns which were affected by the great quake.

In 2024 October, the last building which was affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake was successfully reconstructed and handed over to the owners.

A man, who lost his sister and mother to the disaster is quoted by NHK World Japan “Whenever I see someone who looks like one of them, I feel it might be her. I’ve been living like this for 30 years.”