[Breaking News]Artwork collapses before illumination event in Kobe

KOBE, Japan, Jan. 11 Kyodo - Video taken on Jan. 11, 2026, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a fallen artwork following a gale at a park in Kobe ahead of the opening on Jan. 30 of the "Luminarie" illumination event in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people. (Kyodo)

Artwork collapses before illumination event in Kobe

Artwork collapses before illumination event in Kobe

Photo taken on Jan. 11, 2026, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a fallen artwork following a gale at a park in Kobe ahead of the opening on Jan. 30 of the "Luminarie" illumination event in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Artwork collapses before illumination event in Kobe

Artwork collapses before illumination event in Kobe

Photo taken on Jan. 11, 2026, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a fallen artwork following a gale at a park in Kobe ahead of the opening on Jan. 30 of the "Luminarie" illumination event in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Artwork collapses before illumination event in Kobe

Artwork collapses before illumination event in Kobe

Photo taken on Jan. 11, 2026, from a Kyodo News helicopter shows a fallen artwork following a gale at a park in Kobe ahead of the opening on Jan. 30 of the "Luminarie" illumination event in memory of the victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake in the western Japan city and its vicinity that killed more than 6,400 people.

Pitcher Hideo Nomo

Pitcher Hideo Nomo

TOKYO, Japan, Sept. 4 Kyodo - Pitcher Hideo Nomo (R) meets the press with his agent Don Nomura (L) in Tokyo on Jan. 11, 1995, after announcing earlier in the month that he was leaving the Kintetsu Buffaloes to play in the U.S. major leagues. (Kyodo)

US: Brush Fire Erupts In Del Mar Heights, San Diego 3

A brush fire erupted in the Del Mar Heights neighborhood in San Diego on Tuesday morning, June 25. The fire near Mira Montana Drive off Del Mar Heights Road prompted the mandatory evacuation of 2,500 residents from the area. The fire's forward progress was stopped by about 5:30 p.m. and all evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted by 7:20 p.m.

Fabric woven by 2,700 people in sympathy with disaster victims

Fabric woven by 2,700 people in sympathy with disaster victims

KOBE, Japan - A "Saori-ori" freely woven piece involving about 2,700 people affected by big disasters, including tsunami-hit Thais, is shown in Kobe on Jan. 14, 2015, en route to completion on Jan. 17, 2015, with the ultimate length of 311 meters to signify the 3/11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster of 2011 in northeastern Japan. Jan. 17 marked the 20th anniversary of the devastating 1995 quake that hit Kobe and vicinity.

Letters from Kobe

Letters from Kobe

ONAGAWA, Japan - A person reads encouragement letters posted at Onagawa Daini Elementary School in the town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, from fifth-graders at Yamada Elementary School in Kobe, western Japan, on March 21, 2011. A wide area of northeastern and eastern Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, while Kobe was also devastated by a catastrophic earthquake on Jan. 17, 1995.

Letters from Kobe

Letters from Kobe

ONAGAWA, Japan - Photo taken March 22, 2011, shows an encouragement letter from a fifth-grader at Yamada Elementary School in Kobe, western Japan, to students at Onagawa Daini Elementary School in the town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. A wide area of northeastern and eastern Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, while Kobe was also devastated by a catastrophic earthquake on Jan. 17, 1995.

Coming-of-age ceremonies held nationwide

Coming-of-age ceremonies held nationwide

KOBE, Japan - Young Kobe citizens in kimono offer a silent prayer for victims of the deadly Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, ahead of a coming-of-age ceremony at Homes Stadium Kobe in Kobe on Jan. 11, 2010. Ceremonies to celebrate the accession to adulthood of those who have reached 20 years old were held in cities nationwide, including Kobe, which marks the 15th anniversary of the quake this month.

Painting inspired by Kobe quake victim donated to hometown

Painting inspired by Kobe quake victim donated to hometown

KOBE, Japan - Alexandra Nechita (R), a U.S. teenager who was inspired by the tale of a young victim of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, donates a painting to Kobe Mayor Kazutoshi Sasayama (L) in Kobe on Jan. 15. The story goes that after the death of the 11-year-old Haruka Kato, sunflower seeds that she had fed her parrot sprouted up through the rubble of her home and local residents began planting the new seeds in their own backyards.

Young adults remember 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake

Young adults remember 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake

Attendants at a Coming-of-Age ceremony in the western Japan city of Kobe on Jan. 11, 2016, fall silent in honor of victims of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, which devastated the city. All of the new adults were born after the disaster. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Coming-of-age ceremonies held nationwide

Coming-of-age ceremonies held nationwide

KOBE, Japan - Young Kobe citizens in kimono offer a silent prayer for victims of the deadly Great Hanshin Earthquake in 1995, ahead of a coming-of-age ceremony at Homes Stadium Kobe in Kobe on Jan. 11, 2010. Ceremonies to celebrate the accession to adulthood of those who have reached 20 years old were held in cities nationwide, including Kobe, which marks the 15th anniversary of the quake this month. (Kyodo)

Letters from Kobe

Letters from Kobe

ONAGAWA, Japan - Photo taken March 22, 2011, shows an encouragement letter from a fifth-grader at Yamada Elementary School in Kobe, western Japan, to students at Onagawa Daini Elementary School in the town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan. A wide area of northeastern and eastern Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, while Kobe was also devastated by a catastrophic earthquake on Jan. 17, 1995. (Kyodo)

Letters from Kobe

Letters from Kobe

ONAGAWA, Japan - A person reads encouragement letters posted at Onagawa Daini Elementary School in the town of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, from fifth-graders at Yamada Elementary School in Kobe, western Japan, on March 21, 2011. A wide area of northeastern and eastern Japan was struck by a devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, while Kobe was also devastated by a catastrophic earthquake on Jan. 17, 1995. (Kyodo)

Painting inspired by Kobe quake victim donated to hometown

Painting inspired by Kobe quake victim donated to hometown

KOBE, Japan - Alexandra Nechita (R), a U.S. teenager who was inspired by the tale of a young victim of the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, donates a painting to Kobe Mayor Kazutoshi Sasayama (L) in Kobe on Jan. 15. The story goes that after the death of the 11-year-old Haruka Kato, sunflower seeds that she had fed her parrot sprouted up through the rubble of her home and local residents began planting the new seeds in their own backyards.