Japan: Century 21 - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 340

Figure 12-2
Earth in action. Note how the Pacific and
Philippine plates push against the Eurasian
Plate. This geological movement makes
Japan one of the most unstable places on
Earth. ©NG Maps.

Another severe tremor shook the Kanto region in
1983, resulting in much property damage. All Japan-
ese know that major quakes strike roughly every 70
years. With acres of landfill to liquify , thousands of
skyscrapers to crumble, miles of freeways to collapse,

and miles of underground gas lines to rupture, T Tokyo
is a scary place.
In 1995, another ruinous earthquake struck: this
time the epicenter was the city of Kobe (Figure 12-3).
This quake was caused by a “strike-slip” (sideways)

Figure 12-3
The Hanshin Expressway fell over as part of the
disastrous Kobe Quake. Fortunately , this was early
morning and there was little traffic. Even in the
midst of chaos, the orderly Japanese waited for
lights to change and used crosswalks. Photo courtesy
of Risa Palm.