On Nov. 1, 2009, the Beijing University Press published a Chinese version of the 'Hanshin Earthquake Research in Japan’, a seven year compilation of the earthquake from its occurrence, damages, restoration and prevention. The Chinese version, an abstract of the six volume Japanese version published by Kobe University Earthquake Research Group, is available in China for RMB 37. A ceremony commemorating the publication was held on Dec. 22, 2009 at the Beijing Center of Japanese Studies inside the Beijing Foreign Studies University. Among the representatives from Kobe University were Professor SEGUCHI Ikuko, Deputy Director of the Office for the Promotion of International Exchange and Professor SASAKI Mamoru, the Dean of Graduate School of Humanities, who played a key role in the consultation with the Chinese counterpart.

The Office for the Promotion of International Exchange and the Beijing Center of Japanese Studies jointly began this publication project shortly after the Sichuan Earthquake hit the mountainous region of Western China on May 12, 2008. The detailed record of the experience, emergency measures, restoration and recovery efforts of the Hanshin Earthquake was translated into Chinese with the hope that it might become useful to the Chinese in their recovery effort. Mr. XU Yi Ping, the Director of the Beijing Center of Japanese Studies, an alumnus of Kobe University Graduate School of Humanities and Social Science (now known as the Graduate School of Humanities) and Professor SONG Jinwen of Beijing Foreign Studies University were among the few who translated the book into Chinese.

The ceremony began with an opening address from Professor SEGUCHI, which was followed by two lectures. Mr. IWASAKI Nobuhiko, Professor Emeritus of Kobe University / the author of the original Japanese version of the “Hanshin Earthquake Research in Japan” delivered the first lecture titled, “What We Learned from the Hanshin Earthquake”. By introducing the challenges people faced in the recovery from the Hanshin Earthquake, he shared with the audience possible ways to construct ‘disaster reduction’ cities.

The second lecture titled, “Passing Down the Memory of Hanshin Earthquake to the Next Generation and Its Purpose” was delivered by Professor OKUMURA Hiroshi of the Graduate School of Humanities. He introduced the various efforts to preserve “community cultures”, which was a part of Hanshin Earthquake disaster recovery activities, and highlighted the importance of studying these “community culture”.

Approximately 70 students of the Beijing Center of Japanese Studies attended the ceremony. Among the questionnaires returned, one student wrote “It made me rethink the importance of passing down the memory and the need for collecting and keeping earthquake data”.

This translation / publication project is expected to contribute toward the advancement of a comprehensive study by the schools of Natural Science, Humanities and Social Science for disaster reduction in China.