An earthquake is defined as a shaking or trembling of the earth that is volcanic or tectonic in origin. In the case of the Great Hyogo (Hanshin) earthquake of Kobe, Japan it is tectonic in origin. This devastating earthquake which occurred on the 17th of January at 5:46 a.m measured at a whopping 7 (7.2) on the Richter scale. This was the largest recorded earthquake to ever hit Japan. According to the Japan Meteorological its epicentre was …showed first 75 words of 1062 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1062 total…a profound influence on Japan's earthquake preparedness. Voices are heard urging more emphasis on relief and non structural measures from a disaster mitigation strategy heavily depended on structural measures. Bitter criticism is levelled at government for slow response and inadequate preparedness. The earthquake, which proved to be a combination of a number of worst case scenarios, again reminded us that fight against natural disasters is an endeavour where one cannot afford to relax. Bibliography None