Kobe marks anniversary of deadly 1995 quake

那年我們在美國開業務會議 日本的朋友......

Monday, Jan. 18, 2010

Kobe marks anniversary of deadly 1995 quake

KOBE (Kyodo) Kobe and nearby cities devastated in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake commemorated on Sunday the 15th anniversary of the disaster that claimed 6,434 lives.

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Solemn vigil: A woman prays for people who died in the Great Hanshin Earthquake during a memorial service in Kobe on Sunday, the 15th anniversary of the disaster. KYODO PHOTO

People gathered before dawn in a park in the center of Kobe to light thousands of bamboo lanterns in the shape of "1995" and "1.17" and offered silent prayers at 5:46 a.m., the time the magnitude 7.3 quake struck.

Kiyomi Mabuchi, 53, whose husband and in-laws were killed when their house collapsed, came from Tokushima Prefecture to mourn at Higashi-Yuenchi Park, while her 30-year-old son, whose birthday is on the quake anniversary, stayed at home.

"People say it's been 15 years, but whether it's 15 or 20 years, our feelings do not change," she said.

Wearing a necklace that her husband was wearing at the time of his death, Mabuchi said, "My heart may never recover."

Some knelt before lanterns and prayed while others stood and cried in the crowded park.

The powerful temblor that hit Haiti last week was also a focus of attention at the memorial events, with members of the Imperial family, government officials and relatives of people who died in the 1995 quake expressing their concern for the devastated Caribbean country.

"Marking the 15th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, I would like to express my deep condolences for the around 6,400 people that were killed," Crown Prince Naruhito said at a ceremony hosted by Hyogo Prefecture in a prefectural guesthouse. Turning to the Haiti quake, he said, "I would like to express my sympathy for the victims and their families and hope they will recover from the disaster soon."

The Crown Prince was accompanied by Crown Princess Masako, who was making her first official trip outside the capital involving an overnight stay since January 2008.

"Politics play a big role in protecting human lives," Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said at the ceremony.

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For those lost: Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako offer flowers during a memorial ceremony for the Great Hanshin Earthquake at the Hyogo Prefectural Government's guesthouse in Kobe on Sunday. KYODO PHOTO

He promised to "implement further comprehensive disaster management measures and put full efforts into enabling the Japanese people to lead their lives feeling secure."

Kobe Mayor Tatsuo Yada offered condolences at a municipal ceremony held in Higashi-Yuenchi Park for the families of those killed in the disaster and mentioned the continuous threat that the nation faces from earthquakes.

"Overseas, just a few days ago, a powerful earthquake struck Haiti and serious disasters have occurred in other regions as well, forcing us to realize that we always face the danger of disasters," Yada said.

At one of the memorial ceremonies hosted by the Kobe government, gospel singer Yuri Mori, who lost her younger brother in the quake, sang a song wishing for the recovery of the city.

Mori said earlier she would sing the song "Shiawase Hakoberu yo ni" ("To Carry Happiness") so she could bring happiness not just to her deceased brother, Wataru, a 22-year-old university student, but to all of the victims and survivors.

The anniversary also highlighted a number of unresolved issues, including seriously injured survivors who later became handicapped.

A group of disabled people, including a man who developed crush syndrome and a girl who suffered brain damage, said they were unable to express their suffering for a long time because they were considered lucky to survive and were overlooked as existing support systems were deemed sufficient to meet their needs.
Haiti loss lamented

KOBE — People who lost their parents in the Great Hanshin Earthquake ran a fundraising drive in Kobe on Sunday to help those affected by Tuesday's powerful earthquake in Haiti.

Yuri Fukui, a 19-year-old college student who lost her mother in the 1995 quake, offered a few words of advice for bereaved children in Haiti.

"At the moment, they won't understand what has happened and will not be able to admit that their parents are dead," she said. "But I wish I could tell them that there are people in Japan who've been in a similar situation."