The most catastrophic earthquake in Japan in occurred on western Honshu Island on January 17th, 1995. The earthquake was named the Hyogo-Ken Nanbu Earthquake. Many people perished in the city of Kobe, with a population of 1.5 million people.
Kobe is Japan's most important port. Whole buildings, apartment blocks and an elevated highway collapsed. Japan is one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world. They experience thousands of tiny tremors each year.
But the Kobe earthquake was the biggest to hit Japan for 47 years. Nearly 27,000 people were injured, 45,000 homes were destroyed, and 6,432 people died as a result of the earthquake. The total cost of the damage was estimated at a total of $100 billion. The earthquake measured 7.2 magnitude. The earthquake struck at 5:46 a.m. - local time when many people were beginning their daily commutes to work. Osaka and the ancient city of Kyoto were also severely damaged.