People in Kobe and adjacent areas on Tuesday prayed for the souls of the victims of the Jan. 17, 1995, earthquake, which killed 6,434 people. This year's anniversary was special. It was the first anniversary remembered since the March 11 earthquake-tsunami, which devastated the Pacific coastal areas of Tohoku, killing 15,844 people. Another 3,393 people went missing.

Many people in and around Kobe also prayed for the souls of the victims of the March 11 disasters, just as many people in Tohoku prayed for the souls of the Kobe quake victims. Some people from Tohoku came to Kobe on Tuesday to offer condolences or to find encouragement in the reconstruction the city has achieved.

As Kobe Mayor Tatsuo Yada said in his anniversary speech, it is important to keep the memory of a tragedy. It is especially so for lawmakers and bureaucrats because many people are still suffering from the effects of the March 11 quake and tsunami and the nuclear crisis in Fukushima Prefecture, and they need support.