What was the name of the 1995 earthquake that devastated Kobe, Japan?

The 1995 earthquake that devastated Kobe, Japan, was the Great Hanshin earthquake.

The earthquake struck on 17 January 1995 at 05:46 local time in southern Hyōgo Prefecture. Its magnitude was 6.9 on the moment magnitude scale, and intense shaking affected Kobe, Nishinomiya, Ashiya, and nearby areas.

The rupture occurred along the Nojima Fault and caused severe damage to buildings, highways, railways, and utilities. About 6,434 people died, while hundreds of thousands of buildings were damaged or destroyed.

The event is also known as the Kobe earthquake or the Hyōgo-ken Nanbu earthquake. “Hanshin” refers to the urban region around Osaka and Kobe, so the formal name reflects the wider affected area rather than Kobe alone.