Chapter 6
Housing, Politics, Human Rights

96

Housing, Politics, Human rights

Who was the "affluence" for?
By Reiko Masai, 40s, Kobe
Kobe has long been administrating a developmental policy, which gives
economic issues the highest priority. Dubbed "Kobe Corp," its urban management iswell known nationwide. However, the Great Hanshin Earthquake revealed that thepolicy was not able to protect the lives and livelihoods of its citizens, Kobe has been
trying very hard to achieve further development and affluence, but for whom?
This particular earthquake is also known to be caused by poor administration.
For instance, most of the bunka jutaku wooden apartments were destroyed. Minorities,
namely the elderly, disabled people, single mothers and their children, who had no otheroption but to live in the poor housing, became victims. If the local authorities hadprovided more support to ensure the safety of these homes, the number of fatalities
would have been much lower. This city of 1.5 million people has only 65 municipal caretakers. Some 2,000 volunteers became confused and helpless in the panic of theearthquake. The number of temporary residence or nursing homes for the elderly is oneof the lowest in the country. More than 600 people died in the post-earthquake period,
and deaths at temporary shelters continue to rise. In other words, some survived thedisaster only to be lost later. Many of the elderly continue living in half-destroyed homes,
which let in the rain, because the senior citizens are not financially able to take out
loans to repair them. They have no other choice but to stay in these places even if theirhealth deteriorates. The administration doesn't seem to give sufficient aid to thecitizens when they need it most. Who is the administration for?
Before the earthquake, I had been lobbying for the construction of a women's
center and had attended city council meetings as an observer. What I saw there was asea of men. Only six women (presently eight) out of 72 counselors serve in the assembly.
There are only female members and often none serving on the committees. Even theparticipants from the citizenry were all male. But half of the city population is female.
More voices and views from women should reach the assembly in town planning. From
now on, we should give priority to creating a society where each individual can reachaffluence in the wider sense of the word.
There are several problems in everyday life that women can perceive but men
cannot. Caring for the elderly is one of the major problems women face. A society where97women can live their lives to the fullest is where children, the aged and the disabled
also thrive.
Regardless of the earthquake, women have no home in the three worlds
By Yuko Azumi, 40s, Akashi
After suffering from the earthquake, |I moved to Hiroshima in the fall withabsolutely no guarantees. It is now October, but I'm still out of a job. From time to time,
I think about what I would be doing at this moment if the earthquake had never
happened.
At 9 a.m. on January 17, 1995, all employees of my company were to gather atthe office to take inventory. If the earthquake had hit at this time, I would definitely
have died or been seriously injured. The office was located in Higashi-Nada Ward, an
area where the highest number of death toll was reported. Our head office was burnt to
the ground. My house stands near the shore and was very close to Awaji Island, theepicenter. Miraculously, I had only part of my house damaged because it stands a little
off the fault line.
Water, electricity, and gas services were resumed relatively quickly, and |I
didn't have to rely on my daughter or relatives for a long time. However, I couldn’t go towork at all for the first two months because transportation was seriously disrupted. A
lot of thoughts had come and gone through my mind and I became mentally unstable.
I am hyperactive right after the earthquake. Some days, I felt overwhelmedand shed tears for no particular reason while I was speaking on the telephone. After
that, I was so depressed that I could absolutely not go to the devastated Kobe. When I
had to run errands to Osaka, I would look down in the train to avoid the heartbreaking
sight of burnt fields.
One day, I was so comforted by a person who had survived being buried under
the debris for many hours. She had faced death. Remembering this most horrifying
experience, she said to me, "The funny thing is, I felt so peaceful. I wasn't scared ofdeath. I would like to think that all the people who died were feeling the same,"
Somehow, I felt so relieved listening to her.
I had begun writing this essay but had repeatedly asked myself if I really had
the right to recount my story. Considering how little I suffered from the earthquake, I
had almost given up writing. But by listening to her words, I was encouraged to write.
She gave me the strength.
Above all, what I really wanted to write about was that women had never had
real jobs or houses in the first place, regardless of earthquake.

98

In 1970, when I finished university, no positions were open for women expect
for civil service or teaching jobs. Women's job qualifications were boldly printed in theclassified ads those days as having "beautiful appearance" and "within commuting
distance from parents’ homes." Studio apartments for singles didn't exist, so a single
woman could rent very few apartments. Even if I got lucky enough to find a place, therent was never affordable for me because I had a low salary. My first home was a tiny
room in a dormitory-like building. I had no bath, and I had to share a restroom withother residents.
I have moved more than 15 times so far – an average of twice every three years.
Having lived in almost every kind of house, I can talk for hours about singles’ life andhosing. Single women are not eligible to rent government subsidized apartments until
the age of 50. As for the apartments built by Housing Corporation, which seem
affordable, so many people apply that the chances of getting one are very slim. Womenare not even eligible to apply for public housing unless they are married or living with
their parents. This policy has not changed for 25 years.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake killed a lot of elderly women who lived in old,
poorly-maintained bunka jutaku apartments. Living under this appalling conditioneven without earthquake damage, many women suffered, became sick and died alone.
The old saying, women have no place to rest in the three worlds, remains to this day.
Even if we have gone through such a disaster, we can manage to find food and clothes
but not our houses. Although the quake evacuees received contributions of food, clothes
and help from volunteers from all over the country, that meant little when they had noplace to live. Clothes, food and living space are said to be the basic necessities for life,
but I felt that living space is the most important of all. People cannot live forever in
evacuation centers or concentration camp like temporary houses.
The same thing can be said about women's employment situations. It is almost
impossible for women to get a full-time position if they have children even with somekind of certificate or license. There are often age limits on hiring. After my divorce, I
had no choice but to continue working part-time for a long time. The earthquake didn'tchange this. I have never had any luck in finding a reasonable job through employment
offices.
As an earthquake victim, I receive sympathy and generosity from people, as
well as the administration. What I desperately want are a house in which I can live
safely and a satisfying job that affords me a reasonable living after the rent is paid. I
long for a society where all men and women can live happy lives with equal rights.
No home in the three worlds, and the elevator door closes.

99

Singles and housing problems
By I.Y., 40s, Amagasaki
It has been 12 years since I started living on my own. I moved into my current
apartment when I was 25. Looking back, I think it was relatively easier to move in. It
seems that I saw more apartments of this kind or bunka jutaku back then, and 30,000
yen was about the average rent. I was a single 25-year-old office worker at that time.
Although not rich, I was able to make a living, managing to pay 38,000 yen in rent every
month.
My neighborhood has been gradually changing over the years. Threebathhouses near my home had disappeared, and condominium apartments or parking
lots have been constructed. What does this really mean? The Great Hanshin
Earthquake damaged half the house I have lived for 12 years, and I am also one of thosebeing evicted by my landlord. I just don't know what to do, I am so tired. I am
overwhelmed by a multitude of feelings: uneasiness, loneliness, and fear of leaving thehouse I have lived for such a long time. I also suffer from a sense of helplessness
because I can't move even a single stick of furniture by myself. The earthquake mademe think of so many things. The housing problem for single women raised a question,and that was the situation after women's retirement.
Due to the earthquake, I have to find a new place to live. The housing situationof today is completely different from that of 12 years ago. Now, rents are more than
60,000 yen anywhere. There is absolutely nothing I can afford, and I just standhelplessly in front of real estate agencies, not knowing what to do. The only way I haveleft is to fight against the landlord -- who demands my leave by May -- by depositing therent in the government's escrow accounts. I'm more worried, though, every day about
what would happen if my landlord were forced to tear down my house.
The housing problem for single people has just come up, and there is no
solution in sight. All I can do is stand with my arms crossed in front of real estateagencies and wonder what I could do alone.
Isn't there peace for single mothers?
By K.N.,40s, Kobe
After being rejected for residence in a home for mothers about 11 years ago, I
was looking for an apartment for myself and my 10-year-old son. The welfare officers
told me that it would be impossible for me to rent a place unless I had bruises frombeing abused by my husband. Actually, my husband had beaten me. I had been avoiding100violence but was rapidly becoming neurotic. The welfare officer coldheartedly told methat clever women who could think of ways to avoid violence were nothing but trouble
and would not find a place to rent.
Many real estate agents had refused to even show me the apartments because
landlords were usually reluctant to comply to fatherless families. The most humiliating
experience I have ever had was to thank the agent more than enough who finally got mea lease.
Of all the quake victims who lost their homes, fatherless families were given
preferential access to temporary housing, but the families eventually have to find otherplaces to live. Wouldn't such a serious housing shortage push single-mother families
out? Even before the earthquake, I had felt that this society was not kind to divorced
women. Then, one of my friends, who also lives alone, pointed out that it didn't matter
whether or not one was divorced and it was difficult for any woman to rent anapartment.
The real estate agents dealt with me rudely. Is it because I'm a woman? I'm notsure. If this is the case, it means that women can never relax, even after moving into anapartment. Doesn't this mean that women are forced to live in a society where it isdifficult for them to acquire and maintain a home unless they are with men (husbands
or fathers, not sons)?
The earthquake-exposed problems of single-mother families
By Michie Mukai, member of research center fro modern family problems
The Research Center for Modern Family Problems sponsors lectures andtelephone counseling, providing information about divorce-related difficulties. It also
runs a networking group called Hand-in-Hand Society. After the earthquake, it
supported single-mother families by collecting contributions, providing a telephonecounseling hotline and conducting a survey on the disaster. It has also been lobbying thegovernment and demanding preferential support for single-mother families and otherminorities.
Right after the disaster, we had difficulty contacting people in the devastatedarea by telephone, so we began our activities by contacting members of Hand-in-Hand
Society by mail. We also contacted other similar organizations and groups. According to
the group for single-mother families in Hyogo Prefecture, 10 buildings had been
completely destroyed, but the group didn't know the detailed information. The group
was unable to contact any district leaders. In Nishinomiya and Ashiya, the offices
themselves became the center of disaster, and they are serving as emergency evacuation

101

centers. Furthermore, the prefectural group couldn't reach its Kobe branch. According
to the Children's Welfare Department of Kobe Public Welfare Bureau, a dormitory forsingle-mother families in Kobe's Hyogo Ward had collapsed and five out of 37 people of
15 families died. No other welfare institutions had collapsed, but the staff wasscrambling to transport necessary materials to repair buildings and other works.
Some members of Hand-in-Hand Society who live in Kobe told us that the only
thing they could do during the earthquake was to hold and protect their children as
everything crashed down around them. Others were pinned under furniture and had tobe rescued by their children. Although many wanted to flee, they couldn't out of fearthat things might fall on them in the street. Those who finally evacuated to safe areas in
Kyoto, Osaka and Hyogo prefectures said that they would not have been able to escapefrom their houses without the aid of their male relatives.
In the case of fatherless families, many mothers couldn't go to the evacuation
centers with their children even if they wanted to or make decision about what to do.
The mothers themselves were in a state of shock. Mentally unstable, they were the ones
who needed help.
Single-mother households are usually financially, emotionally and socially very
unstable. The average number of members in a family is 2.8 persons. More than half ofthese mothers work on a full-time basis to support their children, but their averageannual income is 2.54 million yen (the national average for single-mother households is
2.02 million yen). This is only 40 percent of the 6.43-million-yen average annual income
for a regular family as of 1993. The percentage of single-mother families with their own
houses is a low 26.2 percent. Most of the single mothers can't afford high rents and areoften turned away by real estate agencies forcing them into older apartments.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake exposed a lot of problems in Japan's society.
The most striking of these was how society's weakest members have to endure great
suffering when a disaster occurs. The administration does support fatherless families bygiving them preferential access to temporary housing and providing child careallowance, but this is far from sufficient.
Most of these women worked for small businesses. Due to the earthquake,many of these firms were forced to temporarily suspend operations or to downsize.
Many female employees were laid off. Since daycare centers don't accept children unless
both parents work, mothers find it difficult to search for employment and make a living.
They usually don't have enough savings to rebuild their lives, and the high rents makeit impossible for them to afford housing. They have no choice but to continue living in
half-collapsed apartments and live in fear of aftershocks.

102Some women who were separated from their husbands seriously consideredseeking a divorce after their husbands failed to show any consideration fro theirchildren's safety. Due to the prejudiced attitudes toward divorce, many single motherfamilies are isolated from their relatives or the local community. They must think ofways to repair their homes, find new jobs and raise their children without help. They
face greater physical and emotional pressures than the average women, and theirconcern about the future grows ever stronger.
Even though the earthquake damage affected all types of families,
single-mother families face greater hurdles in their lives. Further financial aid,
psychological support and volunteer help will be required.
Results of the survey on the disaster (April 10, 1996)
Survey period: March 1 – April 10, 1995 (Asked to answer the questionnaire printed in
the March 1 Newsletter)
Respondents: 1,500 members of Hand-in-Hand Society (networking group for people
having divorce-related problems, primarily women)
Number of questionnaires collected: 65 (all from women)
1. Place of residence (21 people in Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo prefectures)
Prefectures

Households

Percentage

1 Hyogo8

12.31

2 Tokyo

7

10.77

Osaka

7

10.77

4 Saitama

6

9.23

Kanagawa

6

9.23

Chiba

6

9.23

7 Hiroshima

3

4.62

Aichi

3

4.62

Nara

3

4.62

10 Gifu2

3.08

Ishikawa

2

3.08

Kyoto

2

3.08

Age

Numbers

Percentage

25-29

3

4.62

2. Age103

30-34

21

32.31

35-39

17

26.15

40-44

6

9.23

45-49

7

10.77

50-54

8

12.31

55-59

2

3.08

60-64

1

1.54

65-

0

0.00

Total

65

100.003. Number of people in a family (Average number: 2.8 people)
Number ofHouseholds

Percentage

1

3

4.62

2

28

43.08

3

17

26.15

4

11

16.92

5

4

6.15

6

2

3.08

Total

65

100.00

Structure

Number of families

Percentage

With children

41

63.08

16

24.62

4

6.15

3

4.62

Occupation

Number

Percentage

Self-employed

5

7.69

Company owner

0

0.00

Full-time

31

47.69

Temporary worker

8

12.31

members

4. Family structureWith parents
and children
With spouseand children
Alone
5. Occupation

104Part-time

11

16.92

Helping self-employed

1

1.54

Freelance

3

4.62

Others2

3.08

No employment

4

6.15

Unknown

0

0.00

6. Annual income (Average annual income: 279.88 million yen)
Annual income

Number

Percentage

0

5

7.69

0-0.994

6.15

1-1.9911

16.92

2-2.9914

21.54

3-3.9912

18.46

4-4.9910

15.38

5-5.991

1.54

6-6.991

1.54

7-7.991

1.54

8-8.99

1

1.54

9-

0

0.00

Unknown5

7.69(million yen)

7. Savings (Average savings: 518.37 million yen)AmountNumber

Percentage

0

8

12.31

0-0.996

9.23

1-1.994

6.15

2-2.996

9.23

3-3.997

10.77

4-4.991

1.54

5-5.995

7.69

6-6.995

7.69

7-7.991

1.54

8-8.992

3.08(million yen)

105

9-

6

9.23

Unknown7

10.77

Kind of housing

Number

Percentage

Ownership (house)

15

23.08

Ownership (apartment)

2

3.08

Rent (house)

5

7.69

Rent (apartment)

7

10.77

Company apartment

3

4.62

Shared0

0.00

Apartment

11

16.92

Public housing

4

6.15

Parents’ home/

13

20.00

Others5

7.69

Unknown0

0.00

8. Housing

home owned by parents

9. People who they can rely on in case of disasterI have someone

50

76.92 %

I don’t have anyone

15

23.08

Relationship

Number

Percentage

Siblings

17

34

16

32

Father15

30

Mother12

24Children

6

12

Other relatives

6

12

Others(ie: brother-in-law)

10. Concerns about disaster
Kind

Number

Percentage

Housing

26

40.00

Job

12

18.46

Children

18

27.69

106

Relationship with others 0

0.00

Emotional uneasiness/

15

23.08

Health17

26.15

Financial uneasiness/

12

18.46

Divorce0

0.00

Others18

27.69

Unknown

3

4.62

None

2

3.08

emotional damage

financial damage

Great earthquake and the disabled
By Shoko Nishiyama, 40s, Kobe
I was just falling asleep. I felt my body sink and then fly into the air. It wasn't
until dawn that I finally realized all of my furniture had moved because of theincredible tremor. The sky was dark, and people didn't seem to notice what had justhappened. No one was making a sound. Flames were gradually spreading but I could
hear no sirens. Tranquility made the situation even more eerie.
Three months have passed since then, and I still can't believe what happened.
Right after the quake, the front door would not open and the elevators of the lifelines
including water, gas and electricity were disrupted. I am severely disabled. In the
middle of my fear that I might soon die, I kept asking myself why I was living on thethird floor and not in a house specially built for people in wheelchairs. I am a member ofa group to draw maps of wheelchair accessible locations. For more than a year, I had
been lobbying for the construction of more public apartments with the first floor
specially designed for wheelchair users and had submitted a request for this to beconsidered in town planning. I was strongly advocating that the government notignore fact-finding surveys about the situation and urging the members to see the poor
conditions for themselves. The earthquake hit just when I was involved in suchactivities. One wheelchair group member, Ms. Y, who is also severely disabled, lived on
the 10th floor of a public apartment building. She almost starved to death before she
was finally saved because she couldn't come downstairs by herself in the wheelchair.
This particular case made a sensation in the media but it was far from an isolated
incident.
This happened because Kobe has never truly spent money on behalf of its
citizens; instead it wasted huge sums on the destruction of nature by leveling107

mountains, cutting down trees, and reclaiming land. The city wanted to earn tourists'money. A resort? A trend? Kobe is renowned as a city of social welfare, but I believe thislabel to be utterly false. The reality is that Kobe is at the bottom in terms of social
welfare. All of you so-called weaker of the society, don't be deceived by what the city says
about welfare. We would like you to know that we, together with our colleagues andother volunteers, have been advocating to create a society which is friendly to all.
By the way, the reason why I survived the earthquake was because i had apartner to help me get moving. I left Kobe right after the quake, and when I came backa week later, I found a lot of memos stuck on my door. They read, "Please contact me if
you are okay." I was extremely touched by people's warmth and especially by theirrecognition of disabled people like myself. I learned that people are truly kind to others,
and at the same time, I was extremely glad that I had continued being active on behalfof the disabled community.
The following shows the request I submitted to the government. It is a request
for what we believed was the very minimum requirement as of May.

Request
May 1995
Submitted to: Kobe City Welfare and Education Division, Disabled Guidance
Division, Welfare Planning Office
Shoko Nishiyama, Representative of the group for the creation of maps ofwheelchair accessible locations
Thank you very much for the help provided to the disabled affected by theGreat Hanshin Earthquake.
It has been two years since this group was established. We have been
actively investigating areas in and about Nagata Ward with many disabled people
and volunteers. We have contributed to the creation of a Shin-Nagata Station area
map that aids wheelchair users. This map is also used by prefectural andmunicipal public institutions.
However, a great many buildings were damaged by the Great Hanshin
Earthquake, and now it is expected that new buildings will be constructed in
Hyogo Prefecture. We regret to say that Kobe has never been a place easy for the108

disabled or the elderly to live in. We therefore, strongly urge the authorities toconsider the following recommendations to improve the city.
At the same time, the public hopes for town planning that respects thehuman rights of each individual citizen. We consider this to be a good opportunity forthe city to give top priority to welfare and to respect the true human rights of thedisabled and the elderly.

Suggestions
Facilities:
1) Trains*set up elevators and slopes*build wheelchair accessible restrooms*eliminate steps or gaps between trains and platforms
2) Buses
Buses are running as a substitute fro suspended train services, but it is impossible
for wheelchair users to make use of these buses because they are not equipped withlifts. We would like to ask the city to reconsider this situation and to advise theresponsible departments to introduce buses with lifts.
3) Private buildings*Ensure that aisles permit wheelchair access
4) Public facilities
Schools served as evacuation centers for this earthquake. But they didn't function as
evacuation centers for the disabled because there are no elevators or slopes. We
would like the city to recognize this and to install the following equipment at all
public facilities to be constructed in the future.
*set up either elevators or slopes*build wheelchair accessible restrooms*ensure that aisles permit wheelchair access*unify all Braille road tile colors (for the weak-sighted)*set up guiding chimes at entrances and exits for the blind109

We strongly hope that when considering town planning in the future, thegovernment will create an opportunity to listen to the disabled community. We would
also like to make sure that some of the disabled will be selected to serve as members on
the committees discussing town development.
The disabled are always last: Cold reaction to voices crying for help
By Kazumi Sakamoto, 40s, Itami
When everything shook, I intuitively thought that we could never escape in ourcondition. My husband and I both are physically disabled. One of us has had a leg
amputation and wears a prosthetic leg, and the other has a paralyzed leg and wears
equipment to stabilize it. In times of emergency, we can never run unless we put on thisequipment. When the earthquake hit, the equipment had been thrown out of its regularplace. It was already dawn when we could finally get ourselves to move. We were so
helpless and the only thing we could do was to comfort ourselves by saying thateveryone was scared. We couldn't move of our own accord. It was the first time for us tofeel so frustrated and bitterly disappointed. We were worried about our friends, who arealso disabled, and wanted to make sure that everyone was all right. We called thewelfare officers so that they could go and help our friends if necessary. However, they
told us that everyone was in trouble at the moment and that everyone was as frightened
as we were. We only wanted them to look in on people who really needed help. We
strongly wished for those city welfare centers equipped with facilities for the disabled to
be opened to serve as evacuation centers fro us. We were very disappointed when thisdidn't happen.
These are not problems of the physically disabled. What about those who havehearing difficulties? They cannot hear announcements for the water supply wagon justarriving at the elementary school. What about the blind? The interiors of the homes inwhich they are so used to living became entirely deformed because of the earthquake.
What about those who take care of bedridden family members? Mothers with babies?
Elderly women who cannot carry the heavy water jugs or the blue tarps to cover aleaking roof? Families with autistic children? Sick people? These are the people who
really needed help, but they were neglected. Now welfare volunteers and officials
believe that the disabled are just the same as everyone else. Why now?
Aiding the weak is not something that comes after all the other problems havebeen solved. Am I the only one who worries that the weak are the first to be cut out? I
think that real generosity is to be considerate to the weak and to give them a helping110

hand. I truly hope that the government has learned a very important lesson, and that itcomes up with appropriate measures to deal with such emergencies. Providing a senseof security that's what welfare really means.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake for North Korean residents
By Li Oku Sun, 40s, Kobe
We would have imagined that our Kobe would be hit by such an unprecedented
earthquake? For the last 50 years of the postwar period, Japan has made great strides
to be recognized as a great economic power. Like all cities in Japan, Kobe also took pridein its economic power. What has this economic power actually brought to the people? It
is clear that even with great economic power the administration of Kobe could notestablish a system to protect the lives or property of its citizens.
The Great Hanshin Earthquake hit at the end of a 50 year post-war era. It
seems as if all victims suffered equally, but the powerless of our society suffered themost in this disaster. The powerless includes women who are constantly faced with thepressure of a male-dominated society based on the belief in women's inferiority to men.
Others are the disabled and the elderly. The earthquake brought the discriminatorysocial structure into the devastated area.
Of course, North Korean residents, including myself, were also victims of thisstructure. Ever since the end of the World War II, the Japanese government has
steadfastly maintained a discriminatory policy toward North Koreans living in Japan.
This policy has never once been amended and has provided support for continued
discrimination against Koreans in Japanese society. The Japanese government
continues to make Koreans feel guilty about being Korean. This feeling was clearlyvisible in the relationship between Koreans and Japanese staying in the evacuation
centers.
Our house was completely destroyed and so we sought temporary shelter at theelementary school gym. We felt relieved when we arrived at the aftermath of the 1923
Kanto Earthquake came into mind. Though it was completely against my strong desire
to live under my Korean name as much as possible, I was so apprehensive that I
registered under my Japanese name. Japanese society makes it difficult for Koreans to
get by using their real names. The task of getting our real names back means
establishing our identity as Koreans. Alternating between my Japanese and Koreannames, I have gradually been making it clear to myself who I really am. Fortunately,
the discrimination faced in this earthquake was nowhere near that of the Great Kanto
Earthquake, yet I was angry with myself for using my Japanese names so readily.

111

When the original panic began to die down and people began to move toward
reconstruction, a subtle difference in their attitudes started to appear. One incident
happened when my husband resumed his work. He began working soon after theearthquake since his office had not been seriously damaged. Seeing that, one Japanese
man told him that it was wrong that he as a Korean had a job when many Japanese hadlost theirs. My husband was then told that he should offer his work to a Japanesenational.
Another incident occurred when an aid worker distributed relief supplies in an
obviously discriminatory manner. When we protested, he told us that he had absolutely
no intention to listen to a Korean. There was also a Japanese man who had learned
about contributions to Koreans living in Japan through the General Association of
North Korean Residents in Japan (Chosoren) and the Korean Residents' Union of Japan(Mindan). He also argued that although Koreans complain about discrimination, they
had received financial aid from Japan. He said that Japanese therefore had a right tosome of the money provided by the Korean associations and that the failure to
distribute the funds would amount to reverse discrimination. But I would like to ask,
"When have we ever been treated the same as Japanese?"
Most people attempt to avoid all complications by pretending to know nothing
about what is going on. They seem to believe that the situation has nothing to do withthem. Although extremely sensitive to whatever directly affects them, they ignore
everything else. Of course, stating one's opinion requires self-responsibility and action,and one most often act decisively. But most people become so reserved by refusing toshow their feelings that they end up being unable to exchange constructive opinions.
This causes tremendous damage in the end.
I would like to give one example. The Foreign Residents of Japan
Reconstruction Center was established after the earthquake to aid foreigners living inJapan. It soon received several anonymous letters. One of these stated that foreigners
had come to Japan of their own will and if they complained, they should return to theirown countries. The writer also expressed his or her hatred for "dirty Chinese andKoreans." Another letter said that if there was enough money for Koreans, it should bespent for Japanese instead. The writers chose to hide behind anonymity, of course.
Koreans often advocate cohabitation with Japanese, but I wonder if we wereable to co-exist in the confusion of the earthquake. Some people were successful increating strong cooperative ties with Japanese they had known before the earthquake.
Others said that the earthquake had made them realize how strong the bonds between
them and their Japanese neighbors actually were. There were also some Japanese who

112said they were encouraged by the strength and determination of Korean residents eager
to begin the reconstruction process. So it is true that some ties between Koreans andJapanese became stronger than they had been in the past.
On the other hand, it is also true that certain exclusiveness against foreign
residents was visible with both the administration and the citizenry. Nurturing a senseof international citizenship, which allows me to see the true nature of Japanese, I
believe that the type of city where Koreans find it easy to live can also be comfortable forJapanese. In this sense, the problems faced by Koreans living in Japan are not only the
problems of Koreans but also those of Japanese. I strongly hope that our sharedexperience in this earthquake will lead Japanese people to recognize and come to grips
with these problems. I hope that the reconstruction process will affect not only the city
but also the mindsets of its people. The reaction of a new international city is achallenge for Kobe.
Tent city
By Naori Morimoto, 20s, Kobe
The tent city was located along a national highway that ran through acompletely burnt area. It was built in a park adjacent to an immense dump forearthquake debris. The wide swath of blue tarps, which provided shelter, stood out insharp contrast to the gray winter sky.
Like the Japanese, a great many immigrants from Vietnam also experienced
the earthquake. A Vietnamese family of three who had barely escaped their burningapartment finally made their way to the park. They received no aid whatsoever for the
first two weeks. When it rained, the family took shelter pressed shoulder to shoulder
under a small picnic tarp.
Both the woman and her husband are in poor health and had been on welfare
before the earthquake. Forced to live under such appalling conditions, they experienced
severe emotional distress. Like many other evacuees, they suffered from chest pains,insomnia and nightmares. In mid-June, they finally began to construct a temporary
house in the park from scraps of wood they had collected. Of course, they had to do it allby themselves.
As a fellow evacuee, I felt that the Vietnamese woman and I could talk together
and share our feelings. By sharing my worries about having lost my job and comfortable
way of life, I thought we would begin to have true communication. But perhaps
concerned about her husband who was working so hard right next to her, she wassomewhat distant during our conversation. When she showed me the house under113

construction, her expression changed completely. It was as if she had finally found alight at the end of a long tunnel.
I had lost my job, and our lives without water and gas dragged on for threemonths. For two months during this period, I visited the tent city a dozen or so times. I
noticed that Vietnamese people had become deeply skeptical of the administration andthe media, and had even begun to strongly reject them. They refused to speak to me atfirst, saying that they were busy or they could not speak Japanese. I could understandwhy. They felt that they had been exploited by Japanese reporters who cared little about
the family's plight but intended to file their stories. Although some people who had
become aware of the situation through the media sent aid to the Vietnamese evacuees,
this often led to obvious resentment among Japanese evacuees.
I feel that it is necessary to take time and find out what hidden problems theVietnamese residents face.
What did the administration do for foreigners?
By Kazumi Moriki, 50s, Kobe
1. The evacuation of foreigners
The number of fatalities among foreigners resulting from the Great Hanshin
Earthquake has reached 174 people from nine countries. According to Hyogo
Prefectural Office as of April 14, 1995, there were 117 North and South Koreans, 44
Chinese, eight Brazilians, three Burmese, two Americans, two Filipinos, and one
Algerian, one Australian and one Peruvian. As these numbers show, many
foreigners were earthquake victims. I have heard that many wished to avoid theearthquake-prone Kanto area and chose to settle in the relatively quiet Hanshinarea instead. A large number of foreigners -- North and South Koreans, Chinese,
Indians and others -- have settled down and lived in Kobe for a long time. North andSouth Koreans managed synthetic material shoe factories in Nagata Ward, where
people suffered the greatest devastation. Many refugees from Vietnam have also
recently begun settling down in this area. In Higashi- Nada Ward, Brazilians andPeruvians of Japanese descent had lived with their families near the factories where
they worked.
What happened to these foreigners after the evacuation? Because of the fires
and the destruction of their homes, or fear of aftershocks, many of these people left
the Hanshin area for other parts of Japan or even returned to their home countries.
Some foreigners went to evacuation centers, and some students of Japanese
language schools spent days in city hall before moving on to Osaka.

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It was not easy for those who didn't have a good command of Japanese to stayat the evacuation centers because of lack of information or differences in culture andcustoms. After the earthquake, I visited all the evacuation centers to see if there
were any foreigners. I found out that the only ones there were the permanent
residents.
A Brazilian woman came to consult me about renewing her visa to stay inJapan. In the panic of the earthquake she left everything behind and escaped toTokyo. She said she didn't realize that her visa had expired. A visa is an absolutemust for foreigners. Without one, it is impossible to receive any of the relief funds
contributed by various donors, to have medical expenses paid for injuries sustainedin the earthquake, or to receive condolence money. These were not given unless the
person had completed an alien registration. The number of foreigners who had
overstayed their visas and turned themselves in to the immigration office -- which
resulted in their deportation -- officially totaled 158. Most of these people received
none of the relief funds donated by people from all over Japan and other parts of theworld, despite the fact that they also suffered from the earthquake and lost theirhomes and jobs.
Seeing this, the Sisters from Nakayamate Church, volunteers, and North andSouth Korean residents of Osaka undertook a negotiation with the Japanese Red
Cross. The negotiation made it possible for foreigners to receive relief money
regardless of their visa status, but with some kind of a proof of residence in Japan.
The problem was that the central, prefectural and municipal governments
didn't treat overstayers or short-term stayers as disaster victims since they aredesignated as non-residents. Despite the sweeping provisions of the Disaster Relief
Law, the Japanese government applies national health insurance to cover medical
expenses for earthquake injuries. Because foreigners were ineligible for the plan,
they had to shoulder their own expenses. As far as foreigners paying into national
insurance is concerned, the eligibility criteria should be reviewed. Apart from that,the closed nature of the administration should be criticized for resulting in the poor
handling of aiding foreigners in time of disaster. In Hyogo Prefecture, the number offoreigners who canceled their alien registrations by returning to their own countries
or transferring to other prefectures in Japan reached 722 people by April 15.
2. Foreign women
Amid the post-earthquake panic, the Kobe YWCA received a phone call for help
from a Filipina woman Ms. S, who was married to a Japanese man. She called out of115

uneasiness after the earthquake.
Ms. S's husband has been out of work since the end of 1994, and this disasterhas made it even more difficult for him to find a job. She was pregnant and was due
in a month. She had been to a clinic for a check-up only once. She didn't yet know
which hospital to go to for her delivery. Her husband and mother-in-law had gone totheir relatives' and hadn't been back for days. She didn't have much to eat. Upon
hearing this, I visited her and provided money for a hospital visit. Since then,another Filipina woman Ms T and I began helping her. This is how our relationshipstarted.
Ms. S had not suffered direct damage from the disaster, but there was neither
water nor gas. In addition, because she was scared of aftershocks, she moved in with
Ms. T for about a week. After that, however, she had nowhere else to go. What onearth had her husband been thinking? He left his wife all alone and didn't even takeher to the hospital. She said that she was told by her mother-in-law not to go outsideduring the day because she should not be seen by the neighbors. Her husband'sfamily opposed their marriage and their having a child. She has never met her
sister-in-law. She had to decide in which hospital to have her baby and join thenational health insurance because she had no other insurance. I tried to get help
from the municipal child delivery assistance plan because she could not put together
the necessary funds. Unfortunately, her income from the previous year placed her
above the ceiling for help from the plan.
It is not that she suffered directly from earthquake damages, but she became avictims of Japanese people's prejudice and the closed nature of Japanese society. She
could not even turn to her neighbors for help. In Nagata Ward, there were
post-earthquake rumors that foreigners were assaulting women, but this wascompletely false. There were a surprisingly large number of cases where foreigners
were isolated from the community even when they were married to Japanese. Under
such circumstances, foreign women are always put into weaker positions.
Ms. T, who is also married to Japanese, was able to evacuate to her sister's
home in Tokyo right after the earthquake. After things calmed down, she returned
to Kobe and started relief activities with Japanese people. There was another
Filipina woman from Osaka who had brought aid to her friends since the quake hit.
Foreigners who could get in touch with one another collected information this way,
and they were able to receive help. Ms. T and her friends participated in a FM
mini-program called Yumen, which had been started by Vietnamese people. They
were able to provide information in Tagalog for Filipinos. Ms. T lost a close Filipino

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friend in the quake.
The harm suffered by foreign women has been greater than I had expected. Of
the 174 foreigners who died in the earthquake, a disproportionate 102 were women.
One of the reasons why the death toll for foreign residents was large lies in theconcentration of the foreign population. We should not forget that the poor
relationship between Japanese and foreigners has led foreigners to face worse
situation than Japanese in the catastrophe. If we do nothing, the women who stay athome will become even more isolated. Just like Ms. S.
The type of city we wish to live in: Toward reconstruction
By Chie Kawasaki, 20s, Kyoto
I would like to report on the forum sponsored by Women's Net Kobe.
1. "From the architect's perspective" by Akiko Ito
In Moriminami of Kobe's Higashi-Nada Ward, where I live, 90 percent of thehomes collapsed and 78 died in the destruction. The city has begun drafting new
town plans and the Moriminami area was included in the readjustment district. The
city's plan turned out to be so neglectful of the ideas or opinions of the residents.
Housewives carried out a petition campaign opposing the plan. They collected some
2,080 signatures in five days.
In the end, the town planning bill was adopted by the assembly on March 14.
The residents began working on an alternative plan to be represented as asupplementary bill. That led to a citizen's town planning campaign gaining support
from the city council. The local organization conducted a survey and submitted theresult to the municipal administration. At the same time, the pre-earthquake
condition of the town and the would-be obstacles to reconstruction were observed
and included in a basic outline of the town. It was also submitted to the municipal
government. Town planning is best achieved with residents’ opinions, but many had
left the area and there was no place for residents to gather fro discussions. We are
currently showing residents videos of specific models of the town so they can have abasic idea of the new town.
2. "From the standpoint of medical treatment and welfare" by Yuiko Mori
As a member of medical treatment collective union, I have been studying thenature of health. Through this research, I concluded that the natural environment
deeply affects our state of mind. After the earthquake, those left behind were the117weak, such as the elderly or children. These people should be given priority inmedical treatment but the reality is far from this ideal. Part of the medical expenses
could be exempted, provided that the people had not even reached the evacuees inthe temporary shelters.
Despite the fact that plenty of possibilities are open to the administration, it
has chosen to ignore the citizens' views. The lack of communication between theadministration and citizens makes it impossible for the government to hear thesuggestions and requests of the people.
3. "My experience of the earthquake disaster" by Noriko Kawamura
At the moment, my family is living in a tent in Motomachi Park in Hyogo Ward,
Kobe. Evacuees like us who were unable to secure a place in evacuation centers
have no choice but to live in the tent village. The temperature inside the tentreaches almost 40 degrees Celsius during the day and dips to 18 at night. There are
elderly people sleeping all day in such places. We asked the city to provide lamps
inside the tents, and a single 40-watt light bulb was finally installed in each tent a
half month later.
In an attempt to improve their living conditions, some evacuees over emails
called for more secure shelters in the park. The evacuees slowly began to build
shelters in the park. I feel frustrated at these overly patient people for not letting
the government know how angry they were. A wide gap exists between the city
government's reconstruction plan and the necessary improvement of the shelters forthe quake victims. What bothers me is that the administration never tries to listen
to what the evacuees really want. The government's welfare policy is worthless, andthat was evident in the way the office handled temporary housing. Some people who
had not even submitted applications for temporary housing were notified that they
had won the housing lottery. On the other hand, some lottery winners had their
allocation canceled when they simply complained that it was too far.
Many residents of Hyogo Ward live near their workplaces. With severe
damages to their stores, they are undergoing difficulties reopening their businesses.
What they need are start-up funds, but the government has been meticulously
inspecting each loan application and needlessly requesting guarantors to the loans.
First houses, then living expenses. These two things are urgently needed.
Patrol workers are sent by the prerfectural government every day, but theychange every three days. It is annoying to have to explain what is going on in thecamp all over again for every new patrol officer. Why do the authorities like the118mayor or department chief not visit the sites directly? I think the intention of Kobe
is to reconstruct the city for tourism as soon as possible and it wants to forget about
the earthquake. The administration never wants to face reality. Judging from its
policies, I think the government obviously lacks the will to work together withresidents to solve existing problems
From the participants:
Ms. N: What I discovered from this earthquake is that the Kobe of our dreams was only
an illusion. No funds had been set aside for emergencies, and current social
welfare policies were complete failure. Shelter is an absolute necessity in life.
What the city is doing right now is simply repairing the damages without muchsoul-searching. It is reconstructing without a deep understanding of the painfulsacrifice of 5,500 deaths.
My impression:
This forum opened with about 35 participants, including myself. I am fromanother prefecture. Speeches by the participants and panelists expressed a variety ofthoughts, leaving me at a loss of what to say. Japan's distorted, dysfunctional nature of
the social system was revealed by the disaster, as well as by the evacuees, andearthquake victims. Even these who were not affected by the earthquake must not besatisfied with the current situation. I am truly glad to have participated in this forum
because I was able to share the pain and frustration of others, even if only to a small
extent.
The women's grass-roots election campaign was worthwhile
By Reiko Masai, 40s, Kobe
When I first heard that the Kobe mayor was promoting airport construction in
the city soon after the earthquake, I could not believe my ears. I wanted to ask him justwhat he was thinking at a time like this. This anger triggered me to run for a municipal
election. It was not long after I and some women had created a volunteer group toprovide services in the quake- stricken area.
A network for women's affairs called, Women's Net Kobe, was established in
1992. I have been holding workshops and other activities for the network. I have long
been aware that voices of residents, especially those of women, are not heard inmunicipal politics. It is absolutely impossible for women to be heard by a government
when the assembly only has six female out of 72.

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I was nervous and quite worried for the first 10 days after the official
announcement of my candidacy. It was a long procedure to register ourselves as apolitical party.
Finally, only one month before the election was officially announced, I was able
to start my campaign activities on May 1.
"Put an end to the administration that gives precedent to development over its
citizens. We need more women in the decision-making process to promote the citizens'views in reconstruction."
I put up handmade banners and began making campaign speeches with amegaphone in front of apartment complexes. My female friends were surprised to findout that it was their friend and not her husband running for office. Most of my malefriends, on the other hand, advised me to give up my candidacy because no organization
would back me up and it was impossible for me to win.
I also hosted small afternoon teas, which served as campaign meetings. I
continued to appeal that our everyday life would never change unless politics changed
and it is we who change politics. We needed the government to hear the voices ofcitizens and of women, not only those of political parties and large organizations. I
received support from not only members of Women's Net Kobe but also by my friends
from the community choir and cooking classes, and from the women of my neighborhood.
My friends from the choir sang me a song, "Give me an office,” which is a take-off of afamous song. I was grateful for all of them and their strong support, especially whenhalf of them had their homes partly or completely destroyed in the earthquake.
I borrowed a campaign car from a city council in Sakai, Osaka, andmegaphones fro another council in Amagasaki. We made t-shirts with my caricatureand sold them at 600 yen for three. Wearing one of those t-shirts and an orange baseballhat, I went around town to meet residents. In markets, our campaign group resembled
the Japanese folktale “Momotaro (Peach Boy)” -- the children's story about a boy who
was born from a peach and goes to fight the demons on an island with a monkey, apheasant and a dog. Going around shaking hands with people I met, I felt as if I were in
the theater troupe.
We had no regular campaign staff. People assisted us whenever they wereavailable. My campaign was based on part-time homemakers. From distributing flyers,
putting up posters and announcing my name from a campaign car, to making campaign
speeches around town, everything was new to us. After the election, one person said tome that it was as though she were the one who had run for election. Another said that it
reminded her that women were able to run for office. Yet another said she was able to120

feel that politics was very close to her. In any case, it was an election, in which women
worked very hard and supported one another. Some people, though, said it was acultural festival for middle-aged women.
My camp vigorously stated, "No more useless parties" and "Don't mess with us,
thinking that we are only housewives." Sometimes, we had the opposition camps
applauding our aggressive statements like these. My supporters were so energetic andenthusiastic that even those who had said they were going to support me frombackstage were actually holding microphones in the end.
Even more surprisingly, several members of the government who support
citizens' rights came to support me from all over the country. They also expressed thatthe reconstruction of earthquake-afflicted Kobe was a concern of Japan as a whole andthat citizens' power should be visible in Kobe.
Members of women's groups in Saitama Prefecture and Nagoya, whom I had
come to know through the disaster, also came to support me. Many times I felt my heart
filling with warmth. I realized activities to send more women to the Diet are promoted
as a nationwide network. In the beginning, I was aiming for an election, in which even
women could be involved, but it turned out to be one that worked thanks to women.
I think that the true nature of an election was questioned in this particular one
because it was held after the Great Hanshin Earthquake, an unprecedented disaster.
Yet most of the candidates campaigned in a quite orthodox way, and I was disappointed
that they didn't even try to clarify their policies with the voters. As a citizen of thequake-afflicted area, I still wonder why they made no effort to change their traditional
campaigns system. The experience of running for office made me strongly aware that
voters are longing for lawmakers to clearly state their views and policies.
On the election, I received 3,507 votes and unfortunately ended up in second
place. Yet, during those nine days I had an exhilarating experience. Even though we hadneither the money nor an organization, I am firmly convinced that our campaigning wasnever in vain. I would very much like to make full use of what we gained through theelection and the ties formed amongst the people involved. I also hope to actively
participate in politics from now on. I would like to be a part of the city moving toward
reconstruction. Our activities have just begun.

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