The Great Hanshin earthquake (阪神大震災; Hanshin-daishinsai) measured at 7.2 on the Richter Scale. It occurred on January 17, 1995 at 5:46 am in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture and lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The epicenter of the earthquake was on Awaji Island, near the city of Kobe. 6,433 people, mainly in Kobe, lost their lives. Additionally, it caused approximately ten trillion yen in damage. It was the worst earthquake in Japan since the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 which claimed 140,000 lives.

This earthquake caused over 100 billion USD in damage, and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the 'costliest natural disaster to befall any one country".

The earthquake is also known under the following names: Kobe, South Hyogo, Hyogo-ken Nanbu, and Great Hanshin-Awaji.

External links

• Guiness World Records page on Costliest Natural Disaster http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/content_pages/record.asp?recordid=52457