25 years after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Succession of memories and lessons learned from the earthquake disaster
It is 25 years 17 days after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which killed 6,434 people. With the need to prepare for a new disaster such as a huge earthquake, the issue is how to pass on the memories and lessons of the quarter-century earthquake disaster to new generations.
The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which occurred 25 years ago on January 17, 1995, caused a series of collapses and fires, and 6,434 people died, including subsequent disaster-related deaths.
In the park in Higashi Yuenchi, a park in Chuo-ku, Kobe, bamboo lanterns mourning the victims are displayed in the form of letters "1.17" and "Kizamu".
The word "Kizamu" reflects the desire to remember the journey to recovery, the memories of support, and the lessons of disaster prevention, and connect them to the next generation.
This time, NHK conducted a questionnaire for those who were elementary and junior high school students at the time of the earthquake. As a result, about 60% of the respondents answered, "We have overcome the tragic effects of the earthquake and are now positive."
More than half of the respondents said that they wanted to help others, and that the children who grew up after the disaster emerged.
The earthquake took a long time to rebuild the city.
Redevelopment of the severely damaged Shin-Nagata district of Kobe was almost completed last year after nearly 25 years.
However, there are still issues in town planning, such as the recovery of bustling shopping streets.
Furthermore, it is expected that repayments of debts over 1 trillion yen carried by Hyogo Prefecture for the recovery from the earthquake will continue for more than 10 years.
With the need to prepare for new disasters such as the Great Nankai Trough Earthquake, the issue is how to pass on the memories and lessons of the quarter-century earthquake disaster to new generations.