Millions of people paid homage over the weekend to the people who lost their lives in the Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995.
"Our central and local governments have adopted a disaster reduction strategy covering the next 10 years or more. Long-term perspectives are very important in the successful promotion of issues like disaster warning and retrofitting houses," said Professor Kuwata of Kyoto University in an interview conducted by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR).
Professor Kuwata is a prominent figure in the field of disaster risk reduction. He established the Disaster Reduction Museum in Kobe and has carried out numerous research projects on the lessons learnt from the earthquake regarding response, reconstruction and restoration.
"We have learned many lessons from the Kobe earthquake that canbe communicated to others and it is very important to transfer these lessons to the next generation and to the rest of the world. The Kobe Earthquake museum houses the living memory of what should never happen again," added Professor Kuwata.