MOFA Video Guide

KOBE 1995

A Cruel Lesson
[15 min., English]

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On the morning of January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake laid waste to large portions of the city of Kobe and surrounding areas. In a matter of moments, more than 300,000 were evacuated. Some 5,500 people lost their lives. Even in a country where earthquakes are normally taken as a matter of course, it was a tragedy of incredible proportions.

The physical damage wrought by the earthquake, though massive, can be undone. Our ideas of what is "safe" from natural disasters, though, will never be the same.

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The elevated Hanshin Expressway was considered quakeproof.

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Approximately 179,000 buildings were destroyed.

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Volunteers from overseas and throughout Japan pitched
in to help.

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Water and electricity were soon restored.

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Total damages reached $100 billion.

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