It is extremely significant and important that in approaching ten yearssince the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake we summarize the lessons learnedfrom the disaster and convey those lessons to the world and the 21st century.This is because the earthquake’s occurrence was unprecedented: it was thefirst time such an earthquake has struck a modern city with an aging popula-tion. It is possible that an even larger disaster could occur somewhere in theworld in the future. This is the earthquake occurred in modern times, whichwe have been able to research in detail the process of restoration and recov-ery. The research can be retained and utilized in various forms, which in itselfis an unprecedented achievement.

This report identifies lessons vital for any citizens of disaster-prone countries for protecting life, restor-ing everyday living and communities, and preparing for potential disasters in the future. It summarizes thelessons from the viewpoint of the process which starts directly after the earthquake’s occurrence and continuesthrough the prolonged recovery. The lessons are based on a great deal of data and research that has beencompiled thus far and on the knowledge of those who were directly involved. They are organized in terms ofgovernment efforts, which have been the conventional pillar of disaster reduction management, as well asindividual efforts and mutual-help efforts, whose importance were reconfirmed with the Great Hanshin-AwajiEarthquake.

It is also important to realize that there are limitations to some of the lessons and other information thatcan be passed down; the lessons are not all necessarily universally applicable. It is not possible to definitely saythat the lessons included in this report will continue to be universally applicable. This is because the society welive in has changed and will continue to change in the future. Our values will also change along with the times.Allow me to give an example. Thanks to the disaster countermeasures Japan has been continuously implement-ing, casualties have clearly decreased when comparing disasters occurring in 2004 and disasters of the samescale from 20 years ago. However, economic damage is incomparably more than it was 20 years ago. More-over, today, casualties are directly impacted by the fact society has aged, and physical damage is directlyimpacted by the development of infrastructure for an affluent society. Accordingly, factors causing a society tobe vulnerable to disasters emerge with the times and change with the times. The difficulty of disaster reductionmanagement lies in this fact.

In addition, passing down fragmentary information on disasters sometimes conveys skewed concep-tions of them and leads to mistaken action being taken. In order to avoid this, people who directly experienceddisasters must communicate their lessons to future generations accurately and in an organized form.

Looking at lessons from this perspective, the importance comes into view of considering first andforemost how society, which constitutes the backdrop of a disaster, has changed. In other words, it is essentialto think at that particular time and place. It is my earnest hope that the lessons contained in this report are readfrom this sort of perspective, that they serve as a starting point for learning and thinking about measures toprevent future disasters, and that they are utilized by many people.

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The experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquakehave made clear the importance of exhibiting strength by coor-dinating individual efforts engaged in by each member of thecommunity, mutual-help efforts in which people come togetherand support one another, including residents, businesses, vol-unteers, specialists, and municipalities, and government efforts.

A general principle in times of disaster is that peoplewill protect themselves. It is important, therefore, that individu-als are psychologically prepared in their daily lives for the pos-sibility of a disaster, and that necessary measures are imple-mented in advance. In addition, when a disaster actually occursor there is a strong likelihood that one will occur, it is importantthat each individual takes appropriate action. Companies mustalso take necessary measures to protect the lives of their em-ployees.

In addition to such individual efforts, it is importantthat the residents of an area remember the necessity of assist-ing their elderly and disabled neighbors.

In order for residents to look after their own communi-ties, community members should combine their strengths on aregular basis to work for solutions to problems affecting theircommunities. And, when a disaster does occur, it is importantthat community members collaborate on efforts to keep damagein their area to a minimum as well as on initiatives aimed at thecommunity’s reconstruction. There should also be initiativesimplemented through the collaboration of residents, local busi-nesses, volunteers, specialists, government agencies and otherorganizations.

It is the responsibility of the national government andlocal governmental bodies to develop necessary disaster coun-termeasures to protect the lives and property of residents. Atthe same time, it is essential that the government support theindividual efforts of individuals as well as the cooperative un-dertakings of community members.

A coordinated response consisting of individual, com-munity and government activities is crucial for reducing thedamage inflicted by a disaster and expediting the process ofreconstruction.

At the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,both residents and public agencies were convinced that if adisaster were to occur it would be caused by wind or floodingand that the Kansai area was not susceptible to large-scale earth-quakes. Nevertheless, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake oc-curred and caused unprecedented damage.

Japan has suffered damage throughout its history frominnumerable earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, windstorms, heavy rainfall, heavy snow fall, flooding, storm surges,debris flows, landslides, earth-falls and other natural disasters.And, there is a strong likelihood that such disasters will con-tinue in the future. It is impossible to know when and where adisaster will strike.

When a disaster occurs, many people realize that theyare truly frightening events and they tell themselves that theyneed to implement some countermeasures for the future. Astime goes by, however, this determination fades. Thinking onlythat one is safe and secure or only that one’s community is safeexacerbates the damage that is incurred should a disaster occur.Things that one cannot do in everyday life are not suddenlylearned when a disaster strikes. For this reason, it is importantfor people to be constantly using their imagination, thinking,“what will happen to me in a disaster?, what will happen to myfamily?”, and to be always considering disaster countermea-sures and preventative measures so that action can be taken.

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Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institutionhas been established in order to transmit the experiences andlessons of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake to future gen-erations so as to contribute both domestically and abroad toameliorating damage inflicted by disasters, and to convey re-spect for the value of life and the importance of harmoniouscoexistence to the rest of the world.

Japan’s environmental and geological circumstancesmake it highly susceptibility to natural disasters. And, as is clearfrom its history of such disasters, inherent in Japan is the possi-bility of another large-scale disaster capable of severe damageover a large geographical area. In particular, concrete measuresare urgent requirements in the Tonankai and Nankai regions,where there is a strong possibility of such an occurrence in thefirst half of the century, and in the Tokai region, where it wouldnot be unusual for a major earthquake to occur.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake has taught usmany things. We must remember, however, that it is just oneexample of an earthquake striking directly beneath a major city.

Immediately after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,a survey of earth-fall and landslides was carried out, and effortswere made to set up warning devices and install extensometersin dangerous areas. However, even though evacuation advi-sory for disasters were issued for some afflicted areas whereearthquake-induced landslides could occur, cliffs slide away orbuildings collapse, there were areas where accurate informationwas not adequately conveyed to the local residents, whichcaused confusion and disorder. Information related to daily life,such as on the distribution of basic provisions and water, waspassed on primarily by word-of-mouth immediately after theearthquake struck. Accurate information gradually came to beprovided, which allowed information on daily life to be pro-vided at evacuation sites.

Based on the experiences of the Great Hanshin-AwajiEarthquake, disaster reduction organizations have madeprogress with installing wireless communications facilities toserve as an effective means of communication during disastersas well as with establishing disaster information collection andtransmission systems. Furthermore, monitoring systems for

It is essential that the lessons learned from the GreatHanshin-Awaji Earthquake and other past natural disasters areconveyed to the next generation, that these lessons are utilizedin disaster countermeasures aimed at lessening the damage in-flicted by disasters, and that each individual incorporates theselessons in their concrete activities.

earthquake disasters, sediment disasters, tsunamis, volcanoes,rainfall, snow cover, and other natural events have been set up,which constantly monitor conditions as well as process andanalyze data, and make predictions. The data is transmitted torelated organizations and also made available to the generalpublic.

Rapid collection and accurate conveyance of informa-tion is a prerequisite for effectively responding to disasters andreducing the damage inflicted. It is therefore important to con-tinue establishing information communication networks that areparticularly effective during disasters and to engage in disas-ter-related research and development to strengthen monitoringsystems and predicative capabilities. Furthermore, in order toenable each and every resident to accurately grasp the prevail-ing conditions and take appropriate action during a disaster, itis important that warnings, evacuation orders and other disas-ter-related information be conveyed to the public in an easy tounderstand format by taking advantage of various communica-tions media, including the Internet and mobile phones.

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At the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, itwas difficult to promptly convey information to the victims ofthe disaster because of congestion and interruptions on com-munication networks and confusion in the information collec-tion systems of governmental agencies.

Fortunately, major confusion caused by false rumorsdid not occur in the aftermath of the earthquake. However, whenconditions prevail in which disarray in information communica-tion networks makes it difficult to obtain information, there is adanger that, motivated by false rumors, people will act errati-cally, which can result in a general state of panic. Therefore, it isimportant for people not to be taken in by rumors orunreflectively accept information of unknown origins, and thatefforts are made to ensure accurate information is available.

At the same time, because there are many problemsthat can potentially arise in the aftermath of a disaster, it is notnecessarily the case that accurate information will be readilyavailable. To ensure conditions are accurately assessed andappropriate actions taken even in such cases, it is importantthat in their everyday lives residents learn accurate informationand engage in related practices.

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When a large-scale disaster or accident occurs, a city’snormal functions are paralyzed and people are shaken psycho-logically, which can create panic or give rise to violence.

Chaos did not occur at the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, even though it was a large magnitude quakeoccurring in a place where such earthquakes were not antici-pated. Scenes of people standing in line to receive relief provi-sions and going to water trucks to retrieve water were shown bythe global media as admirable. On the other hand, a spike inphone calls as people tried to verify the safety of others in theafflicted region overloaded telephone lines, and traffic becamecongested as victims evacuated and the general public usedcars to transport the wounded.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred in theearly morning hours in winter. Many people therefore were us-ing gas and electrical appliances to heat their homes and cookbreakfast. In the midst of the severe shaking caused by themagnitude seven earthquake, people were not able to extin-guish the flames of their gas burners and heaters or turn offtheir circuit breakers, and this caused a large number of fires tobreak out immediately after the earthquake.

When an earthquake occurs, it is important to protectoneself in a safe indoor place until the shaking subsides, andwhen it does to then turn off any gas flames that were in use.Also, before evacuating to a safe location, it is important to firstclose off gas valves and turn off circuit breakers. Appliancesusing a flame like heaters and gas ranges should be inspectedregularly, and flammable, hazardous materials like kerosene andaerosol sprays need to be managed properly. Also, it is neces-

sary to have a system to ensure these types of individual-levelsafety checks are conducted to the extent possible.

In any situation, it is important to understand the cir-cumstances of others, and not think only of oneself. Especiallyin times of disaster, although one may find oneself in tryingcircumstances, others are also suffering and facing similar pre-dicaments. It is in times of disaster when people especially needto take sober action, encourage one another, and work togetherto overcome the crisis.

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The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake resulted in a greatnumber of people being buried beneath collapsed buildings, sorescue efforts had to be initiated as quickly as possible. Al-though there were extreme shortages of rescue equipment andteams, the rescue efforts of local residents managed to savemany lives.

In addition, in areas affected by the disaster, fires startedsimultaneously in several places immediately after the earth-quake, making it impossible for fire fighters to go to every loca-tion where a fire had broken out. Given these conditions, initialfire fighting efforts were conducted by community membersand local companies, and there were cases in which they wereable to contain the fires remarkably well.

In order to protect people’s lives from earthquakes andfires, it is important that community members join forces to carryout rescue and initial fire fighting activities. Such activitiesshould be prepared for through the activities of volunteer di-saster reduction organizations in normal times. It is also impor-tant that local residents team up and help evacuate to safe loca-tions elderly community members who would have difficultyevacuating themselves and disabled individuals and others whorequire assistance in times of disaster.

After the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, donationstotaling more than 180.0 billion were given from within Japanand abroad. The donations were used for condolence paymentsand subsidies, were distributed to disaster stricken cities andtowns, and used to support victims of the disaster. The largerthe scale of damage is, the greater the number of victims and thegreater the amount of donations that is required. It is importantto collect as much in donations as possible to aid victims, aswell as to effectively distribute the funds so that the good willof those sending donations is utilized and victims are helped.

At the time of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,many volunteers came from across Japan to the affected areas.They distributed provisions, managed evacuation centers, pro-vided medical care and daily living assistance, cared for animalvictims of the earthquake, and engaged in a variety of otheractivities, thereby imparting hope and strength to the victims.At the time of the earthquake, however, there was no system inplace for receiving volunteers, and there were almost no experi-enced coordinators. There were also numerous first-time volun-teers arriving haphazardly without lodging or plans for meals,and making housing and other arrangements for them were some-times a hassle for the disaster stricken communities. Volunteeractivities are engaged in solely at the discretion of the volun-teers. As such, volunteers should be self-sufficient; they shouldact based on the understanding that they need to do things ontheir own.

Large quantities of relief provisions were delivered todisaster stricken areas. However, among the items delivered weregoods that could not be used by the victims, provisions requir-ing an excessive amount of work to sort through, and otherimpractical items. As a result, some provisions were disposed ofby incineration and many distribution sites ended up stockpil-ing inventory. It is important for people to consider what itemsare truly required by disaster victims and to not send thingsthat cannot be used in disaster stricken areas, are difficult tosort, or otherwise place an excessive burden on the affectedcommunities.

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Immediately after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,a large number of people were evacuated to, or sought refugein, public facilities and other sites. The number of evacuees atits peak swelled to more than 300,000.

Evacuation sites functioned as community centers,where relief provisions and information could be obtained, forboth local residents who had been evacuated and for victimsthat had returned to their homes.

Evacuation centers are intended to provide temporaryhousing until emergency residences can be secured, but theyare also places where members of the same community can meetand talk with one another. It is essential that recovery and re-construction efforts begin immediately after a disaster occurs inorder to rebuild people’s lives and revive communities as quicklyas possible. It is also important to begin moving in the directionof recovery by utilizing evacuation centers, where communitymembers can engage with one another, for discussions of com-munity reconstruction issues and for sharing visions of thereconstruction process.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake caused majordamage to local supermarkets and convenience stores. Somestores recommenced business in spite of being damaged byusing motorcycles, small trucks, and boats to make deliveries.In addition, truck and taxi associations transported relief provi-sions and people with the cooperation of private-sector compa-nies. The efforts of local businesses and stores to quickly re-commence activities, despite the confusion in the immediateaftermath of the earthquake, were a powerful source of supportfor the afflicted communities.

It is important that local companies and stores strive tocontinue business activities or quickly resume operations, evenin the aftermath of a disaster, in order to help speed the recon-struction of local communities and rebuild the lives of victims. Itis also essential that distribution and transportation systems bein place to support the efforts of companies and stores.

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On the basis of the experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, mutual aid agreements are being concludedacross the country. Immediately after the occurrence of a majordisaster, demand for emergency measures, such as rescue andfirefighting activities, care for the injured and evacuation of thecritically injured, increases dramatically. Because it is likely that,by itself, the local government in the disaster stricken area willnot be able to respond to this type of scenario, national andregional public bodies are working to strengthen wide-areamutual aid relationships that transcend municipal and prefec-tural borders. In 1995, the Emergency Fire Rescue Team (Fireand Disaster Management Agency) and the Wide-Area Emer-gency Relief Team (National Police Agency) were launched aswide-area support units for measures in times of major disas-ters. Furthermore, the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act andthe Self-Defense Forces Law were amended, strengthening theauthority of municipalities to request the dispatch of Self-De-fense Forces and the authority of Self-Defense Forces officialsto dispatch personnel in times of disaster. Disaster response isotherwise being implemented by incorporating lessons learnedfrom the earthquake.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake caused extensivedamage to many medical facilities, rendering it impossible toprovide adequate medical services within the disaster area. Ittherefore became necessary to evacuate critically wounded andhospitalized patients to medical facilities located outside of theregion. However, difficulties were encountered even in trying toprocure ambulances, and helicopters were underutilized as ameans of wide-area transport. There was also the problem ofnot conducting medical activities efficiently. Excess time wastaken to receive the medical relief teams and volunteers whocame from around the country, and communications betweenthese teams and local efforts did not proceed smoothly. In thetime since the earthquake, there has been progress in initiativesaimed at enhancing disaster relief medical systems. It is impor-tant that wide-area, disaster relief medical systems are imple-mented, including readying helicopters and heliports, to allowmedical personnel to save the life of each and every victim whocan be saved.

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Information collection for fire fighting organizations wasmarked by confusion immediately following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, making it extremely difficult to assess andanalyze the state of damage. Based on lessons learned from thisearthquake, disaster reduction organizations are progressingwith system implementation for information collection and dis-tribution as well as disaster reduction. Because of the necessityof readying a system of rapid emergency response and con-ducting necessary measures when a disaster occurs, it is impor-tant that information related to the disaster, including generalinformation is assessed quickly as soon as the disaster occurs.

For the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, damage certi-fication was utilized based on evaluation criteria for whether agiven instance of damage qualified for relief measures. How-ever, at the time, the only uniform standards for verifying dam-age in order to issue damage certification were extremely old

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake inflicted exten-sive damage on the urban infrastructure including the roadsand utilities that support the lives of residents and activities ofcities. Transportation was severely obstructed by damage toroad structures as well as by other obstacles that were scat-tered about including debris, toppled telephone poles and roofs,and abandoned vehicles. Because of the necessity of quicklyclearing transportation routes for the delivery of equipment,personnel and emergency supplies for rescue and fire fightingactivities and road-clearing operations were undertaken by trans-portation officials and road maintenance crews. For electrical,gas, water and communications facilities as well, damage in-spections and recovery work was advanced immediately fol-lowing the earthquake with the assistance of utility providersfrom outside the region. Telephone services were up and run-ning the day after the earthquake struck, electricity took ap-proximately one week, and water, sewage and gas were recov-ered in roughly three months. (LP gas was recovered in twoweeks and water was available to all customers in three months.)

The transportation infrastructure must be restored assoon as possible in order to carry out emergency/relief responsemeasures, including emergency response after the disaster oc-curs, restoration of communications, and delivery of equipment,personnel and emergency supplies for rescue and fire fightingactivities. In addition, to enable the residents to resume theirlives, the city to perform its administrative functions, and eco-nomic activity to restart, it is important that a support system isin place for recovering utilities and that the facilities are quicklyreestablished. It is also essential that such recovery activitiesare coordinated with one another.

and not compatible with modern housing structures and speci-fications. Based primarily on visual inspections of the outsideof the structure, the old system sometimes resulted in varyingjudgments depending on the inspector. Moreover, there werealso local governments that conducted investigations with origi-nal evaluation methods and did not utilize the uniform stan-dards. In the time since the earthquake, the national govern-ment has revised these uniform standards for damage certifica-tion, making it possible to carry out objective inspections corre-sponding to the structure and specifications of modern resi-dential buildings. In order to make use of damage certifications,the inspections on which they are based must be carried outaccurately. It is therefore important that a system is establishedby which the state of damage can be quickly assessed andverification inspections rapidly conducted.

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In the region affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earth-quake, uplifting catch phrases ”Cheer up, Kobe!” and meet-and-greet activities intended to lend encouragement to the par-ticipants, along with participation in health, art, cultural andsporting activities, and establishment of Kobe Luminarie, anevent initiated after the earthquake that is now held annuallyeach winter, enabled all the people affected by the disaster toremain determined to continue with reconstruction and allowedthem to face many difficulties. In addition, those victims whoresponded to changes in their living environment by retreatingto their homes were invited to participate in health, cultural andsports activities to prevent them from isolating themselves fromtheir communities.

Engaging with people and cultural activities providesstrength to victims who become despondent due to a disaster,and serves as a driving force toward reconstruction. Restoringthe connections among people is an important key to rebuildinglives.

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Collective housing was introduced following the GreatHanshin-Awaji Earthquake in order to build and maintain com-munities. Relief funds were granted to companies supplyinggroup housing (for disaster reconstruction) with resident sup-port staff. Also, after the earthquake, community businesseswith close connections to local areas were developed in a num-ber of fields by local residents, non-profit organizations (NPOs)and others. Community businesses are autonomous initiativesby community members to solve local problems by revivingbusiness activity, so results can be expected with respect toresident-led community building, employment creation and re-vitalization of local economies.

It is important that new initiatives, such as these thatwere undertaken after the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, takeroot, given the diversification of lifestyles, ways of living, andways of working that occurs with a disaster. In aging societieswith low birth rates, it is important to incorporate into ways ofliving and working the idea that people live in communities andthat the ties among people should be preserved.

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In the areas affected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earth-quake, a large amount of rubble was generated, a large volumeof household goods that could no longer be used was thrownout, and many unnecessary daily items were thrown away aspeople moved from evacuation centers to emergency housing.

While public funds were utilized for dismantling anddisposing uninhabitable housing units in order to speed theprocess of reconstruction and recovery, it has been noted thatthis led to some buildings that could have been salvaged andrepaired being torn down.

At the same time, volunteers with technical knowledgein light carpentry work or repair of furniture and fixtures pro-moted reuse and encouraged people to not throw out all wastefrom the disaster, so there was also substantial activity on thisfront.

Some of the emergency housing units constructed af-ter the earthquake that were capable of being reused were pro-vided to Turkey and Taiwan as temporary housing for victimsof disasters.

In recent years, the trend toward a recycling-basedsociety has gathered momentum. With the promulgation andenactment of the Construction Waste Recycling Law, it has be-

Following the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, victimswho had trouble facing drastic changes in their living environ-ments and relationships increased, as did those who tended toconfine themselves to their homes. In disaster stricken areas,initiatives were undertaken to help victims recover both physi-cally and mentally through meaningful and fun activities. Socialactivities were conducted to prevent elderly residents livingalone from becoming isolated from their communities and healthprograms were implemented, which helped both build and carefor the community. Through these activities many disaster vic-tims were able to restore their mental and physical health. Inaddition, art and cultural activities were organized soon afterthe earthquake, and these touched the hearts of victims andprovided them strength. The earthquake has lent vitality to theart and cultural activities of community members and privateassociations in the areas affected by the disaster.

come mandatory to dismantle houses room by room. In addi-tion, various recycling laws have been established, includingthe Home Appliance Recycling Law. We need to strive to takeactions in our daily lives that do not excessively impact theenvironment, and even in times of disaster, it is important tothrow out as little waste as possible.

Since the earthquake, in communities affected by thedisaster, there has been increased momentum toward autono-mous initiatives by residents to address community issues, andactivities have developed among community members in a vari-ety of areas, including social services, disaster reduction, theenvironment and culture. In order to stabilize and revive normalday-to-day living after a disaster, it is important to develop ac-tivities in which community members cooperate with one an-other and support the community.

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After the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, manyschool and government employees, volunteers and others en-gaged in activities to support daily life in the evacuation cen-ters. In addition, volunteers, government employees and spe-cialists in many fields, including social services, healthcare andmedicine, contributed to supporting the daily existence of se-nior citizens living in emergency housing.

In evacuation centers and emergency housing, com-munity members and residents of the facilities should cooper-ate with one another and live autonomously. Coordination ofvarious individuals, including volunteers, specialists and thegovernment is indispensable to achieving this.

A large amount of emergency housing and public hous-ing for disaster reconstruction was supplied in the aftermath ofthe Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Projects have been un-dertaken for supporting the day-to-day lives of those living inemergency housing or public housing for disaster reconstruc-tion. The underlying aims of the projects are looking after thecommunity and promoting social interaction. Various problems,however, have been pointed out, including the weakening ofcommunity ties.

Securing emergency housing is an important first stepin rebuilding housing for victims, but rebuilding their daily livesis essential to proceeding with full-fledged reconstruction ofhousing. It is therefore important to progress with securing andrebuilding housing in a way that value the ties among people.

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Sustained and inflated stress levels caused by tremen-dous psychological shock from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earth-quake sometimes resulted in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD), which hindered normal social life. In the aftermath ofthe earthquake, conscientious initiatives were undertaken tohelp provide emotional support, including establishing mentalhealth clinics and setting up emotional support centers on thepremises of emergency housing units.

In addition, demand for a substantial amount of social,healthcare and medical services was expected for those requir-ing support in the event of a disaster, particularly the elderlyand disabled, so restoration of the systems to provide suchservices was expedited. In the city of Kobe, volunteers deemedLife Support Advisors not only cared for the elderly and dis-abled, but also engaged in community activities. Presently, careproviders have been stationed at home nursing care supportcenters, and the scope of the program has been expanded frompublic housing for disaster reconstruction to regular communi-ties, as progress continues on a citywide care system.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck in the midstof national economic stagnation, so it inflicted major damage onthe economies of Kobe and other affected areas. In areas strickenby the disaster, existing industries were revived and initiativeswere advanced aimed at transforming the industrial structurethrough enticements to companies in new areas of business.However, while the urban infrastructure was recovered relativelyquickly, the rebuilding of micro, small, and medium-sized busi-nesses and the population of commercial districts lagged be-hind. As a result, it required a substantial amount of time beforethe economies of disaster stricken areas were able to recover.Unless measures directed at economic recovery are implementedimmediately following a disaster, the recovery of the entire re-gion will be delayed. It is therefore important that commercialrebuilding commence soon after a disaster has struck. Also, it isimportant to prepare support measures that are easy for busi-nesses affected by a disaster to utilize.

To aid recovery from the psychological shock of a di-saster and to restore and stabilize normal day-to-day living, it isimportant that the wisdom and experience of many people, in-cluding the staff of NPOs, volunteers, specialists, and govern-ment workers, is pooled together and used to provide emotionalsupport and conscientiously respond to the needs of thoserequiring support in times of disaster.

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The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake caused the totaldestruction of approximately 100,000 housing units, and thepartial destruction of approximately 190,000 units, which neces-sitated the supply of a large amount of emergency and perma-nent housing. Based on the Disaster Relief Law, 48,300 units ofemergency housing were supplied to Hyogo Prefecture and 1,381units were supplied to Osaka Prefecture. Under the Hyogo Pre-fecture Housing Reconstruction Plan, 125,000 units of perma-nent housing were planned, and an enormous amount of publicfunds has been spent on 38,600 public housing units for disas-ter reconstruction as well as on other projects.

Other housing measures were also implemented, includ-ing reducing rents for public housing, assistance for movingfrom emergency housing to permanent housing, and the intro-duction of collective housing and group homes.

Furthermore, there were strong calls for assistance inrebuilding privately owned homes in damage stricken areas.This has led to partial amendment of the Disaster Victim ReliefLaw in March 2004, which established a system for providingassistance for housing stability and a framework for cash payoutsin support of stable housing.

The greatest concern for the victims of a disaster issecuring housing. Securing housing, which constitutes the foun-dation of day-to-day living for disaster victims, not only stabi-lizes victims’ lives and local communities, it revitalizes the com-munities, which is why housing initiatives should be the cor-nerstone of reconstruction policy.

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It is important to be prepared for disasters in everydaylife so that sober actions can be taken when a disaster occurs.

For example, just as people receive medical checkupsto manage their health, it is important for people to conductsafety inspections of their homes, and conduct reinforcementwork and take other measures should improvements be required.It is also important to conduct safety inspections that includepreventing household furnishings from toppling over and fall-ing down, because such things can be extremely dangerouswhen people are at home during an earthquake.

Immediately after a disaster occurs, it may be extremelydifficult to procure daily necessities, so it is important that pro-visions such as food, water, and medical supplies are set asidein places that can be easily accessed in the event of a disaster.Also, because there is the possibility of a fire breaking out in

one’s house or neighborhood, it would be helpful in emergen-cies to keep a fire extinguisher and buckets ready at hand and toregularly leave water in the bathtub Furthermore, it is importantfor family members to discuss and confirm communicationsmethods, evacuations sites, and other related issues.

It is important, in everyday life, to learn and think aboutdisaster reduction, and for people to practice the countermea-sures they are capable of implementing so that appropriate ac-tions can be taken without panic, even when disasters occur.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred early inthe morning. If it had occurred in the middle of the day, however,many people commuting to companies concentrated in down-town areas would likely have fallen victim to the disaster, andthe extent of the damage would have been much worse. Sincethe earthquake, companies in the disaster stricken areas havestrengthened their crisis management systems and engaged intheir own disaster reduction activities.

It is important for companies to engage in risk manage-ment, which includes drawing up disaster reduction plan andbusiness continuity plan (BCP), so as to be able to safeguardthe lives of employees and customers and continue businessactivities even in times of major disasters and accidents. Com-panies are also members of the community, so it is important forthem to work with local residents on improving local disasterreduction measures.

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Approximately 95% of the buildings that collapsed inthe Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake were built before the newearthquake-resistance standards, which went into effect in 1981.It is estimated that more than 80% of people, who lost their livesin Kobe, were killed by collapsing buildings. Also, in denseurban districts, multiple fires broke out at the time the earth-quake struck. The fires then spread and caused even more dam-age and casualties. It is important therefore to not only ensurethe safety of houses themselves, but also to ensure safety in-side through measures that include preventing home furnish-ings from being able to fall down or topple over.

The original role of a house is to provide a shelter tosustain life. In order to protect the lives of oneself and one’sfamily, it is important to ensure that one’s house is retrofitted forearthquake-resistance and to implement other safety measuresinside. Ensuring the safety of one’s home is also connected toprotecting the lives of people in the same neighborhood.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake taught us theimportance of combining the strengths of each individual andtackling a variety of problems. It can truly be said that recon-struction in disaster stricken areas succeeded precisely becausethe energies of local residents, volunteers and specialists, whocame from all across Japan, and the government were combinedto tackle the problem.

In particular, the earthquake served to remind manypeople of the importance of community. Local reconstructionwas achieved because of the strength of communities. Sincethe earthquake, local areas affected by the disaster have workedto foster community and voluntary disaster-reduction groupsand these activities have grown in vitality.

In addition, volunteers and NPOs played an importantrole in various fields. Today, the existence and role of volun-teers are recognized by society. But work remains on a numberof issues including how to divvy up the responsibilities of vol-unteers and how to train coordinators.

For the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, a system fordispatching specialists was created with reconstruction funds,

and there were instances of specialists in many fields coordi-nating with one another and working to support local recon-struction efforts.

In order to protect the community and the lives of itsmembers, it is important to build collaborative relationships innormal, everyday life among local residents, volunteer disaster-reduction associations, specialists, government workers andother groups.

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Rebuilding housing, which constitutes the foundationof day-to-day life, is indispensable to rebuilding the lives ofdisaster victims. However, for victims with anxiety related totheir daily lives, numerous conceivable difficulties may arise inprogressing with work on repairing or rebuilding damagedhomes.

Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, more andmore households have taken out earthquake insurance; how-ever, the overall number still remains low, which shows that theearthquake insurance system is not yet very popular. If oneimagines that one’s own home had been damaged in a large-scale disaster, the importance is apparent of taking measures inadvance to reduce the economic burden of such a loss.

Since the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, a mutualaid system has been proposed in which homeowners pay pre-miums in order to reduce, to the extent possible, the economicburden related to rebuilding the homes of disaster victims.

When restoring or rebuilding a damaged home doesnot proceed smoothly, it has an adverse impact on day-to-daylife. It is therefore important that further discussions are held onmechanisms for reducing economic loss related to housing.

With respect to reconstruction in urban districts af-fected by the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, there were someareas in which large gaps existed between the local government’sproposals and the plan sought by local residents, which causeddelays in determining a course of action and other problems.Many districts, however, used this opportunity to create com-munity development councils, and the initial opposition movedin the direction of collaboration.

Community members play the leading role in their com-munities. In order for the reconstruction of local communities tobe a success, resident-led urban planning is essential. How-ever, after a disaster occurs, even if the local residents gatherand address local reconstruction issues, things often do notproceed smoothly. It is therefore important that local residentsthink about the development of their communities and engagein related initiatives in normal times. It is also important that asystem is in place for supporting resident-led activities.

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To lessen the damage caused by disasters, it is neces-sary to train people who are conscious of disaster reductionmeasures in their everyday lives and who can take sober, appro-priate actions even in times of disaster. Therefore, it is importantto promote the education on disaster reduction for a variety ofpeople and groups, including the next generation of children,administrators and disaster-reduction staff in the national gov-ernment and local public bodies, fire fighters and fire fightingassociations, volunteers, NPOs and local residents. Practicaltraining in normal times is also important so conditions can begrasped accurately and appropriate actions taken when a disas-ter occurs.

Furthermore, to ensure residents are able to protecttheir local communities, it is important to provide easy-to-un-derstand information on local dangers and other issues by meanssuch as creating and making public, maps of hazardous areas. Itis also essential that a supportive environment be developedfor teaching and training by local residents.

Many elderly people lost their lives in the GreatHanshin-Awaji Earthquake. The elderly, children and the dis-abled are the most vulnerable when a disaster strikes. Advanc-ing community development that enables people who cannotcare for themselves in times of crisis to live their daily lives insafety and security leads to the building of safe, secure citiesthat cope well with disasters. Based on the lessons of the GreatHanshin-Awaji Earthquake, it is important to promote universaldesign of safe, secure cities with mechanisms in place throughwhich everyone can participate in local community planning.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake demonstratedthat the structure of Japanese cities is extremely weak with re-spect to natural disasters. In the disaster area, the urban infra-structure that supports citizen lives, urban activities, and eco-nomic activities, including highways and roads, ports, railways,waterworks and sewage systems, electric power grids, gas lines,and communications facilities, suffered extensive damage. Re-covery of city infrastructure was carried out in a short period oftime, based on the Emergency Three Year Infrastructure Plan,which minimized the adverse impact of the disaster on citizenlives and economic activities. Also, the earthquake served as an

opportunity to work to make infrastructure earthquake resis-tant. Work was done on infrastructure that supports citizen lives,urban activities and economic activities, such as waterworksand sewage systems, electric power grids, gas lines, highwaysand roads, railways, communications facilities, and ports.

It is important that disaster-reduction projects continueand that the development of public infrastructure such as utili-ties, roads, railways, ports, and public buildings is promoted inorder to prevent and reduce damage caused by disasters.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake has reconfirmedthe necessity of always remembering to have reverence for na-ture. It is important to build a sustainable society in which thenatural environment is protected and fostered, and impact onthe environment is curtailed as much as possible.

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The experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquakeled to substantial amendments to the Disaster CountermeasuresBasic Act, and work has been done to develop and enhancerelated laws and ordinances in many areas. Work is also beingdone to enhance response to earthquakes in the Tonankai, Tokai,and Nankai regions. Furthermore, in order to support rebuildingof the lives of disaster victims, the Act Concerning Supportreconstructing Livelihoods of Disaster Victims has been en-acted. In this manner, Japan has established a full-fledged, di-saster-related legal code comprising disaster-related legal pro-visions, led by the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act; reliefcountermeasures, including the Disaster Relief Law and the Di-saster Victim Life Support Law; recovery after a disaster and

The experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquakeled to the establishment of Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary forCrisis Management, Office of Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretaryfor Security and Crisis Management, an Emergency AssemblyTeam and a Crisis Management Center, among other new devel-opments. The Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act has made itpossible to establish the Headquarters for Major Disaster Coun-termeasures, headed by the minister of State for Disaster Man-agement, and the Headquarters for Urgent Disaster Manage-ment, headed by the prime minister. For regional public bodies,the Disaster Countermeasures Basic Act provides for the estab-lishment of Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters, headedby directors of the organizations, and the quick and appropriateimplementation of necessary measures.

To enable rapid emergency response in the event of alarge-scale disaster, it is important that new ways continue to bedevised for strengthening emergency response. Furthermore, itis necessary that operations are developed to enable rapid and

An enormous amount of financial resources are requiredto reconstruct from a disaster. Regarding promotion of rebuild-ing and reconstruction from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,the government made special provisions to deal with the short-age of funds at the local level in areas hit by the earthquake inorder to ensure that the local governments had the financialresources they needed.

Reconstructing from a disaster requires an enormousamount of funds for rebuilding urban infrastructure and urbandistricts, rebuilding the lives of the disaster victims, and achiev-ing other essential goals. To facilitate the securing of financialresources required for reconstruction efforts, it is necessarythat the national government has a function to coordinate fund-ing.

economic and financial measures; measures for earthquakes,volcanic eruptions, typhoons, nuclear facilities; and laws re-lated to mitigating/preparing all types of disasters.

On the impetus of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake,thinking is taking root on a comprehensive disaster-reductionpolicy that also covers disaster reconstruction. It is importantto establish and promote a comprehensive risk managementsystem, including a series of policies covering everything frompre-disaster countermeasures to reconstruction measures, andto establish supportive laws and ordinances as well as to workto rebuild legal systems.

smooth implementation of emergency measures even for disas-ters that cause tremendous damage across a wide area.

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The experiences of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquakehave led to the advancement of disaster preparedness mea-sures such as urban infrastructure and urban district improve-ments, and community education programs. Other regions havealso learned lessons from the disaster and have implementedmeasures to improve local disaster reduction.

Natural phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis,volcanic eruptions, windstorms, heavy rainfall, heavy snowfall,floods and high tides are unavoidable. It is also extremely diffi-cult in actuality to achieve a zero casualty rate in the event of adisaster. In various types of planning, such as national landconservation and development plans as well as urban and re-gional planning, it is necessary that consideration be given tothe conditions that will likely arise should a disaster strike, andthat disaster prevention and mitigation be incorporated into theplans, for example, by establishing measures to lessen damagecaused by disasters.

Facing the challenge of damage from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake and a multitude of other large-scale naturaldisasters that have occurred in recent years, the importance ofdisaster reduction, the urgency of countermeasures, and deci-sions on the direction of reconstruction have been the subjectof scrutiny. The first step in developing disaster reduction mea-sures is risk assessment, which reduces hazards and damage.

The current methods for collecting data are insufficientfor rationally assessing risk, and information is not being sharedadequately. This applies not only to developing countries, wherenatural disasters cause great loss of life and property, but todeveloped nations, including Japan.

It is important that new and better methods of datacollection and accurate risk assessment are promoted, and thatmeasures be taken to ensure that the resulting information isshared and readily available.