Japan Marks 31st Anniv. of Great Hanshin Earthquake

Kobe, Jan. 17 (Jiji Press)--Bereaved families and others renewed their commitment to passing on their experiences and lessons from the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in western Japan to future generations on Saturday, the 31st anniversary of the disaster, amid concerns over a decline in the number of memorial events.

At a memorial gathering in a Kobe park, participants lit bamboo and paper lanterns and offered a silent prayer at 5:46 a.m., the exact time the earthquake struck. The disaster claimed 6,434 lives.

On the day, about 11,000 people visited the park by 7 a.m.

Etsuko Sato, 62, whose mother, Masako, went missing in the disaster, attended a memorial ceremony hosted by the Kobe city government as a representative of the bereaved families.

"The earthquake is not over just because the shaking stopped," Sato said in a speech. "I want people to know that there are people who continue to look for their families and want to meet their loved ones."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]