“Creative Reconstruction Summit” Held in Kobe 30 Years On

Kobe, Sept. 20 (Jiji Press)–The prefectural government of Hyogo held the “creative reconstruction summit” on Saturday, as this year marks the 30th anniversary of a devastating earthquake that hit Kobe, the capital of the western Japan prefecture, and surrounding areas in January 1995. Participants, including the governors of prefectures that have experienced major natural disasters, adopted the “Hyogo declaration,” aimed at transmitting the philosophy of “creative reconstruction,” which calls for building a better society than before disasters. They highlighted the importance of passing down disaster experiences and lessons to future generations. The meeting took place in Kobe. Community bonds are very important for the promotion of postdisaster reconstruction, the declaration said, calling on disaster-hit areas to create new values by making use of their characteristics and resources. “We shared the view that support for the maintenance of communities is most important,” Hyogo Governor Motohiko Saito told a press conference. The meeting introduced reconstruction efforts in areas damaged by large-scale disasters, such as the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan prefectures and the April 2016 earthquakes in the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto. Ishikawa Governor Hiroshi Hase stressed the importance of measures to prevent disaster victims from becoming isolated, following the January 2024 earthquake in the Noto Peninsula in the central Japan prefecture. Participants in the meeting also included Kumamoto Governor Takashi Kimura and Kobe Mayor Kizo Hisamoto. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]