The Great Hanshin earthquake (阪神・淡路大震災; Hanshin-Awaji-daishinsai) measured 7.3 on the Richter Scale. It occurred on January 17, 1995 at 5:46am 52 seconds in the southern part of Hyogo Prefecture and lasted for approximately 20 seconds. The epicenter of the earthquake was on Awaji Island, near the cosmopolitan city of Kobe with a population of 1.5 million. 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 economic damage was the chief cause for the collapse of Barings Bank due to the actions of Nick Leeson.
The earthquake is also known under the following names: Kobe, South Hyogo, Hyogo-ken Nanbu, and Great Hanshin-Awaji
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