Victims of 2004 Niigata Quake Remembered

   Nagaoka, Niigata Pref., Oct. 23 (Jiji Press)--A memorial service was held Wednesday to mourn the victims of a powerful earthquake that hit Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, 20 years ago.
   Some 100 people attended the ceremony in Nagaoka, a city in Niigata that was hit hard by the Oct. 23, 2004, earthquake, laying flowers for the victims and offering silent prayers. The earthquake left 68 people dead and 4,805 others injured.
   "It's important to pass on what we've learned over the past 20 years and memories to the next generation," said Nagaoka Mayor Tatsunobu Isoda, who attended the ceremony.
   A silent prayer was held at 5:56 p.m., the time when the earthquake occurred, in the former village of Yamakoshi, now Nagaoka, where all residents were forced to evacuate due to a large-scale landslide and damage to roads.
   Local elementary and junior high school students and others sang two songs, including one to wish for recovery from a powerful earthquake that struck the Kobe area in western Japan in 1995.

(2024/10/23-20:28)

To read a full story, please click here to find out how to subscribe.