Local residents on Saturday marked the ninth anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated Kobe and surrounding areas in 1995, offering prayers for the 6,433 people who died.
At the prefectural government building, Hyogo Gov. Toshizo Ido and other local officials offered silent prayers for the victims at 5:46 a.m., the time the magnitude 7.3 quake struck on Jan. 17, 1995, while a bell tolled 88 times, once for each city and town in the prefecture.
"We have vowed to reconstruct our communities in the 10 years immediately after the quake," Ido said. "With the value of human lives and the community in our mind, we must proceed with creating a society in which people can live with a sense of security."