Hanshin Earthquake Memorials Draw Thousands of Mourners in Japan 31 Years After Disaster

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:48 JST, January 17, 2026

KOBE — Memorial events were held in Kobe and elsewhere on Saturday as the nation marked 31 years since the Great Hanshin Earthquake claimed 6,434 lives.

Bereaved families prayed for the quake’s victims and pledged to pass on experiences and lessons they learned from the disaster.

At Kobe East Park in the city’s Chuo Ward, a memorial ceremony had about 11,000 people in attendance as of 7 a.m. A moment of silence was observed at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck Kobe and neighboring areas in 1995. Lanterns were lit and arranged to form “1.17,” the date of the disaster, as well as the word “tsumugu,” which means “weave” in Japanese, embodying a wish to share memories and lessons from the quake with younger generations.

According to central government records, three people are still not accounted for from the earthquake. At the ceremony in the park, a relative of one of these three people served as a representative of bereaved families for the first time.

Etsuko Sato, 62, of Kakogawa, Hyogo Prefecture, delivered a eulogy. Her mother Masako, who was 65 years old at the time of the quake, remains missing. “With the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Noto Peninsula Earthquake as well, there are many people who have lost their family members or who continue to search for loved ones whose whereabouts remain unknown,” she said.

The number of memorial events in Hyogo Prefecture, including gatherings and memorial services, was expected to total 37 this year, down by 20 from last year, according to a survey by a Kobe-based civic group. That is the lowest figure since the survey began in 1999, the group said.