Why are the lessons of the Kobe earthquake so important in Japan?
Rapid economic growth started in Japan around 1960 and every big city expanded until about 1995. At the centre of all these cities are older inner cities, where the infrastructure is ancient, and where many elderly people live due to cheap housing and other low living costs. So in every inner city, there is a high level of disaster vulnerability. Kobe was a typical big city with these characteristics. In Japan, big cities such as Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Fukuoka are located on active faults with earthquake magnitudes of more than 7, and could one day suffer a similar earthquake to Kobe. Why did you set up the Museum? We have learned many lessons from the Kobe earthquake that can be communicated to others. The Kobe Earthquake museum houses the living memory of what should never happen again. It is very important to transfer these lessons to the next generation and to the rest of the world. In collaboration with disaster victims, local citizens and volunteers, the Museum exhibits li
