The Kobe Earthquake of 1995

February 7, 1995 Earthquake in Japan

     TOKYO, Japan - The Great Hanshin Earthquake, also known at first as the Southern Hyogo Prefecture Earthquake,
struck near the city of Kobe in western Japan at 5:46 AM JST on January 17, 1995.  The quake was the worst such disaster
in Japan since 1948 and caused over five thousand deaths and unexpected destruction.  The death toll of over five thousand
was worse than earlier reported, the slow response by government was broadly criticized, and the upgraded damage estimates
ranging from 3-14 trillion yen ($30-140 billion) sent Tokyo's Nikkei Average down a thousand points on January 24.

         The Tuesday morning quake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale and was revised upward from 6 to the top level of 7 on
the Japanese scale that peaks at 7.  The epicenter was12.5 miles under the island of Awaji in the Inland Sea off the coast
from Kobe, and the ground moved as much as five meters in some places.  Most eyewitnesses report destruction similar to war
or even the 1945 atomic bombings.

        In Japan, all observers are shocked by the death and destruction.  By February 6, the National Police Agency
reported 5273 confirmed deaths, after accounting for missing and attributed fatalities related to the quake, along with tens of
thousands of injury victims.  The total 5273 fatalities make this quake the worst since the June 28,1948 quake in Fukui
Prefecture that killed 3895 according to the Asahi Nenkan.   More than half the dead were over age 60 and the displaced
persons continue to face long-term trauma.  While the total dead and missing was not as great as the1923 Great Kanto
Earthquake that killed over one hundred forty-two thousand people, the extent and randomness of the massive damage is
vast.

        Japanese citizens remain extremely angry about the failures of prevention and warning.  The wire services and
television have reported this reaction accurately.  Associated Press writers filed an good early story about the population's
loss of faith in technology.  Compared to Los Angeles in 1994 and San Francisco in 1989, Kobe and its population of 1.4
million people suffered far more extensive damage.  No block of city was spared some destruction with many buildings
leaning on their foundation.  The collapse of elevated expressways and railway bridges will take much time
to rebuild, and the homeless in smaller wooden dwellings and larger high rises will need immediate shelter from near-freezing
temperatures.

        Specialists have lost confidence in their forecasts about location and construction for earthquakes.  Severe quakes have
hit northern Japan as well as Kobe, but none have occurred near Shizuoka or Tokyo where quake experts predicted.  Also,
engineers who looked at Japanese standards as the highest in the world must now reassess their ideas about bridges, roads,
and buildings.  In the U.S., Los Angeles and San Francisco officials emulated Japanese building standards said to protect
against 8.3 magnitude quakes of the 1923 Kanto scale, but they must now reconsider the extent of damage to Kobe-area
expressways and railroads.  At first, Japanese officials are skeptical about creating economically viable standards that can
withstand a quake such as yesterday.  Such standards allowed Kobe to create two large developments on landfill, but these
areas suffered broken surfaces, flooding, and sludge or mud holes where their buildings sank into the bay.   Later, serious
breaches and even criminal disregard of construction regulations led people to question safety.  The Shinkansen
bullet train is also a victim because damaged support piles were found with wood braces within the pilings thought to be filled
solidly with concrete.

              The geological shaking and aftershocks continue.  The initial shaking of about 20 seconds and several weaker quakes
continue to hit the region.  As late as Tuesday, January 24, a quake of 4 on the Japanese scale of 7 hit the Kobe area to
threaten landslides after recent rains.  Experts estimate that restoring the basic services of electricity (one or more weeks),
water (two weeks) and gas (one month) kept life from normal.  Construction of transportation and buildings will of course take
much longer.  For many people, their loss of family, homes, memorabilia, and businesses will never be possible.

        The financial damage is extensive and perhaps impossible to determine.  Economists note that the total impact is severe.
Estimates range from $30 to $140 billion, but the exact estimates are unclear on their details.  The Hyogo governor has
asked for four trillion yen (about $40 billion),  Other economic impacts are mixed.  In Tokyo, insurance company stocks are
down, but construction, concrete, and glass stocks are up.  Damage in Osaka closed Japan's second-largest stock market
and the Kansai area will face major disruptions.  Of course,  Kobe is a port, export-hub, shipbuilding and steel-
manufacturing center, as well as a historic international city.  Kobe also handles12 percent of Japan's exports.  The damages
to this area, and its people, will likely leave a major mark not just on the economy, but also on the future of Japanese society
as a whole.

Text Source:
by Stephen J. Anderson (anderson@glocom.ac.jp)
Inforum Project Director
The Center for Global Communications (GLOCOM)
Associate Professor
International University of Japan (IUJ)
 

Image Source: http://www.niksulu.cs.hut.fi/~haa/kobe.html
Last edited 11/30/98
by Thuy Trinh and Andrew Beavers