Great Hanshin earthquake () is a major earthquake that occurred in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, at January 17, 1995. The quake caused catastrophic damage and killed 6,434 people. Kobe and its surrounding areas, as well as the northern Awaji Island, were particularly severely damaged. This was Japan's deadliest earthquake in the 20th century after the Great Kantō earthquake in 1923, which claimed more than 105,000 lives.