[Breaking News]Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

KOBE, Japan, Jan. 30 Kyodo - The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people. (Kyodo)

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 30, 2026, in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

KOBE, Japan, Jan. 24 Kyodo - The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 24, 2025, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people. (Kyodo)

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 24, 2025, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 24, 2025, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 24, 2025, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 24, 2025, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 24, 2025, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 24, 2025, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

KOBE, Japan Kyodo - The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 19, 2024, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,000 people. (Kyodo)

[Breaking News] Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

KOBE, Japan Kyodo - The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 19, 2024, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,000 people. (Kyodo)

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 19, 2024, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,000 people.

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

Illumination event in Kobe in memory of quake victims

The "Luminarie" illumination event opens on Jan. 19, 2024, in Kobe in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,000 people.

"Yuru-kyara" mascot contest begins in quake-hit city in western Japan

"Yuru-kyara" mascot contest begins in quake-hit city in western Japan

"Yuru-Kyara" mascots from various municipalities in Japan gather at Izanagi Shrine in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture, on Oct. 27, 2023, as the three-day "Yuru-Verse" popularity contest begins in the western Japan city devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. The annual contest was launched after the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster in northeastern Japan to give moral support to the affected regions.

Iwate Pref. city mascot visits quake-hit city in Hyogo Pref.

Iwate Pref. city mascot visits quake-hit city in Hyogo Pref.

Takata-no-Yumechan, the official mascot of Rikuzentakata, a northeastern Japan city hit by the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster, prays at a memorial monument at a park in Awaji, a Hyogo Prefecture city devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, on Oct. 27, 2023.

Iwate Pref. city mascot visits quake-hit city in Hyogo Pref.

Iwate Pref. city mascot visits quake-hit city in Hyogo Pref.

Takata-no-Yumechan, the official mascot of Rikuzentakata, a northeastern Japan city hit by the March 2011 quake-tsunami disaster, offers flowers at a memorial monument at a park in Awaji, a Hyogo Prefecture city devastated by the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, on Oct. 27, 2023.

Meeting in quake-hit Kobe to reconstruct war-torn Ukrainian regions

Meeting in quake-hit Kobe to reconstruct war-torn Ukrainian regions

Ukrainian Ambassador to Japan Sergiy Korsunsky makes a speech during a meeting hosted by Hyogo Prefecture in its capital Kobe on April 21, 2023, to discuss how to reconstruct Ukrainian regions damaged by the war based on the western Japan city's experience of the January 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake.

Lanterns for Jan. 17 memorial service for Kobe quake victims

Lanterns for Jan. 17 memorial service for Kobe quake victims

Photo taken at a park in Kobe on Jan. 7, 2023, shows bamboo lanterns made by local volunteers for a Jan. 17 memorial event marking the 28th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that struck the western Japan city and its vicinity killing more than 6,000 people.

Lanterns for Jan. 17 memorial service for Kobe quake victims

Lanterns for Jan. 17 memorial service for Kobe quake victims

A high school student makes a bamboo lantern at a park in Kobe on Jan. 7, 2023, for a Jan. 17 memorial event marking the 28th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that struck the western Japan city and its vicinity killing more than 6,000 people.

Lanterns for Jan. 17 memorial service for Kobe quake victims

Lanterns for Jan. 17 memorial service for Kobe quake victims

Photo taken at a park in Kobe on Jan. 7, 2023, shows bamboo lanterns made by local volunteers for a Jan. 17 memorial event marking the 28th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake that struck the western Japan city and its vicinity killing more than 6,000 people.

4 orphans of 9/11 attacks, Hanshin quake visit Yankees' Matsui

4 orphans of 9/11 attacks, Hanshin quake visit Yankees' Matsui

NEW YORK, United States - Four Japanese and U.S. youths (L) who lost one or both of their parents in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake visited New York Yankees outfielder Hideki Matsui (R) at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 5. They handed him paper cranes made by children who had lost either one or both of their parents in wars and other major disasters throughout the world.

Silent prayer for 1995 quake victims in charity match

Silent prayer for 1995 quake victims in charity match

KOBE, Japan - Current and former Vissel Kobe players, including former Japan international Kazuyoshi Miura (C), observe a moment of silence to mourn victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake before the start of a charity game in Kobe on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the disaster that devastated the western Japan city and vicinity.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - About 5,900 people take part in a memorial walk in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, to trace the routes that were used for evacuation and other purposes after the quake that claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko walk to the altar to offer flowers during a memorial ceremony in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko walk to the altar to offer flowers during a memorial ceremony in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko offer flowers during a memorial ceremony in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko offer silent prayers during a memorial ceremony in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - A memorial ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake is held in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015, with Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in attendance. The magnitude 7.3 devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Japan's Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko attend a memorial ceremony in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015, to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Umbrellas with kids' smiles mark 20th anniv. of Kobe quake

Umbrellas with kids' smiles mark 20th anniv. of Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Umbrellas printed with photos of smiling children are displayed at the "Merry in Kobe" event in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. In the background is the statue of Gigantor, the "Ironman No.28" featured in a comic series. The smiling photos were taken in Kobe in 2001 and 2002 by Tokyo-based art director Koji Mizutani to document the city's reconstruction after the disaster.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Kazuaki Ogawa, who represents people who turned 20 during the past year, speaks at a memorial event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake at a park in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015. The 7.3 quake devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - People observe a moment of silence at a park in Kobe, western Japan, at 5:46 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2015, the time the Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred, on the 20th anniversary of the disaster, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - People gather at a park in Kobe, western Japan, in the early morning of Jan. 17, 2015, at a memorial event to mark the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - A woman lights a bamboo lantern at a park in Kobe, western Japan, in the early morning of Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - A child lights a bamboo lantern at a park in Kobe, western Japan, in the early morning of Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Korean residents observe silence on Hanshin quake anniv.

Korean residents observe silence on Hanshin quake anniv.

KOBE, Japan - Korean residents of Japan observe a moment of silence on Jan. 17, 2015, at Kobe Korea education and culture center in Kobe's Nagata Ward, western Japan, at 5:46 a.m., the time when the Great Hanshin Earthquake hit the city and its vicinity on Jan. 17, 1995.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Natsuki Meida, a 26-year-old beautician who lost her 33-year-old mother in the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, speaks at a memorial event to mark the 20th anniversary of the quake at a park in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 17, 2015. The 7.3 quake devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Child lights candle on 20th Hanshin quake anniv.

Child lights candle on 20th Hanshin quake anniv.

KOBE, Japan - A child lights a candle during an event to remember the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe's Nagata Ward on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the disaster. A total of 6,434 people were killed by the quake which devastated Kobe and its vicinity in western Japan.

Candles form "Bond" on 20th Hanshin quake anniv.

Candles form "Bond" on 20th Hanshin quake anniv.

KOBE, Japan - Candles are placed in the shape of "1.17," "Kizuna" (Bond) and "3.11" at Mano Elementary School in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. The disaster devastated the western Japanese city and its vicinity, claiming the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - People observe a moment of silence at a park in Kobe, western Japan, at 5:46 a.m. on Jan. 17, 2015, the time the Great Hanshin Earthquake occurred, on the 20th anniversary of the disaster, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Lights forming 1.17 are seen at a park in Kobe, western Japan, in the early morning of Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

"1.17" formed with candles on 20th Hanshin quake anniv.

"1.17" formed with candles on 20th Hanshin quake anniv.

KOBE, Japan - People light candles to form the shapes of "1.17" and "Kizuna" (Bond) at Mano Elementary School in Kobe's Nagata Ward on Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the western Japanese city and its vicinity, claiming the lives of 6,434 people.

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

Japan marks 20 years since Kobe quake

KOBE, Japan - Lights forming 1.17 are seen at a park in Kobe, western Japan, in the early morning of Jan. 17, 2015, the 20th anniversary of the Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the port city and its surrounding areas and claimed the lives of 6,434 people.

Kids from disaster-hit region visit 1995 quake memorial in Kobe

Kids from disaster-hit region visit 1995 quake memorial in Kobe

KOBE, Japan - Pupils from Hashikami Elementary School in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, visit the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution, a memorial facility for the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, in Kobe, western Japan, on Jan. 16, 2015. Miyagi is one of the prefectures in the northeastern Japan region of Tohoku hit by the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.