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On January 17, 1995 a great "Chokkagata" (directly-under-city) earthquake
of magnitude 7.2 on the scale of the Japanese Meteorologi-cal Agency struck
the Hanshin-Awajishima region with its hypocenter under northern Awajishaima
island. The area, especially Hyogo pre-fecture, suffered one of the most serious
degrees of damage caused by natural disaster in post-war Japan. The disaster
demonstrated anew the terror a "Chokkagata" earthquake could cause when it hit
a big c.ity area having heavily concentrated city functions. Immediately after
the earthquake, the Ministry of Transport set up a disaster countermeasure headquarters
in the Ministry, the Maritime Safety Agency and the Meteorological Agency as
well as in their related local offices. They took measures mainly to conduct
relief operations for quake victims and maintain transportation routes to carry
emergency relief goods. Emergency relief goods were distributed though different
routes. On a route, the goods were first gathered to Kansai International Airport
from which they were carried to Kobe Port by vessels of the Maritime Safety
Agency. On another route, privately-owned helicoptors shuttled between the airport
and seven points in the Osaka-Himeji district and 17 points in the Kobe-Awaji
district. Furthermore, since the Kobe port was heavily damaged and railway lines
and roads were cut in many places, efforts were made to establish alternative
transportation sys-tems, while expediting repair work on the damaged railway
lines and port facilities.
As for damage done to transportation facilities by the Hanshin-Awaji Great
Earthquake Disaster, aid measures were taken by the second supplementary budget
for fiscal 1994, the first and second supplementary budget for fiscal 1995.
Consequently, all the damaged railway lines were restored by August 23, and
similar port facilities are expected to be reconstructed during fiscal 1996.
For the future the Ministry of Transport plans to continue assitance to
further promote the rehabilitation of the livelyhood of people and economic
reconstruction in the areas affected. This will be done according to the 10-year
reconstruction plan worked by Hyogo Prefecture and the city of Kobe and the
policy decisions made by the Head-quaters for Reconstruction of the HANSHIN-AWAJI
AREA of the Japanese government.(picture1
and picture2)
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