Tuesday marks the 17th anniversary of an earthquake that hit the port city of Kobe and its surrounding areas. Local communities are holding numerous ceremonies to remember the nearly 6,500 people who died in the disaster.

At noon in a disaster-prevention center in central Kobe, about 400 people offered a silent prayer for the victims of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, while elementary school children rang bells.

Participants at the event included officials from Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, the 3 prefectures that were hardest-hit by the earthquake and tsunami in eastern Japan on March 11th last year.

Earlier in the day, people who lost families and friends gathered at a park in Kobe. They lit candles and placed them to form the numbers 1 and 17, the month and day when the earthquake struck the region in 1995. The crowd observed a moment of silence at 5:46 AM -- the exact time of the earthquake.

Some of those affected by last year's disaster were also among them.

Tuesday's memorial events include a moment of silence observed at 2:46 PM -- the time of the 2011 earthquake in northeastern Japan.

A number of people who experienced the 1995 earthquake are involved in volunteer activities to support those affected by last year's disaster. Events have been held where survivors share their experiences and discuss how to use lessons learned for reconstruction.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 12:56 +0900 (JST)