Kobe quake victims still displaced

by Chie Yoshimune

On January 17, 1995, in the wake of the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake, 300 quake victims fled to a park in downtown Kobe, Japan and began living in large Japanese Self-Defense Force tents.

When the Kobe city government began to relocate them to prefabricated temporary shelters in distant suburbs, the small community of quake victims balked. Insistent upon participating in the rebuilding of their community, they repeatedly asked the government to build temporary wooden shelters in their park, so they could maintain the integrity of their private and community lives by living in and rebuilding their homes while remaining close to their job sites. The government flatly denied the community's requests, so, with the help of volunteers and donations from a Japanese Christian church, the 300 victims constructed their own shelters and continued living in the park.

In August of 1995, the Kobe city government denied further negotiations with the victims concerning their rehabilitation process. The earthquake victims, in protest, erected and lived in tents outside the city hall, demanding decent treatment and hoping to convince citizens and government to reopen negotiations. Finally, the government conceded, and discussions began the following January.

Four years after the quake, Mr. Kawamura - the victim community's legal representative - asks: Did the city of Kobe consider or attempt to meet the needs of the victims? Did the government offer effective solutions for rehabilitation? Were the victims' basic human rights honored and respected?

Out of 50,000 households that lived in temporary shelters after the quake, 5,000 remain in temporary houses today. Due to exorbitant rent costs and inconvenient locations, permanent houses and apartments will remain out of reach for at least 1,000 of those households, and there are no tangible prospects for relocation. Even victims who have moved into new homes face economic difficulties and unemployment because of the prolonged Japanese recession, as extensive regulations make loans difficult, if not impossible, to get.

Social impacts of the Hanshin-Awaji quake still linger for its victims. Elderly people face loneliness and separation from familiar living situations, and an increasing number of people feel that the victims need intensive psychological care. Despite their small victories against the Kobe city government, the quake survivors have yet to entirely restore their lives and livelihoods.