Earthquakes Japan

For a few seconds Saturday, Kobe residents relived the terror as an aftershock jarred highway overpasses and apartment buildings damaged by Japan's devastating earthquake. There were no immediate reports of new damage or injuries, but the 3.0-magnitude jolt was one of the largest aftershocks in the past 12 days, and it added new urgency to the enormous task of city wrecking crews.

A carefully coordinated effort to predict and prepare for the next great earthquake here is without parallel. Western experts marvel at the thoroughness of the Japanese program, leading many to wonder what the United States--and particularly California--has to learn from Japan.

Japan escaped relatively lightly after the strongest earthquake in years rocked the southwestern region of the country Friday afternoon. The quake, which had a magnitude of 7.3 and hit about 1:30 p.m., buckled some roads, destroyed or damaged more than 500 homes and a shrine, caused some landslides and temporarily shut down some bullet and local trains.

A strong earthquake jolted Japanese islands south of Tokyo on Saturday, killing one person and injuring several. The quake also triggered landslides and cut power. Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori sent troops and helicopters to the area to help with rescue work. "Please do your utmost to protect human life and prevent further damage in cooperation with the Tokyo metropolitan government," the Kyodo News Service quoted Mori as telling an urgently convened meeting of government officials.

The death toll from the Kobe earthquake jumped by 139 to 5,243 Friday after private hospitals reported more victims from Japan's worst natural disaster in 72 years. Police in Hyogo prefecture, where Kobe is the largest city, said they were investigating 100 deaths that might also be added to the quake death toll. National police said six people were still missing and 26,804 had been injured in the Jan. 17 quake. The magnitude of the temblor was reported as 7.

It's been a little over two weeks since the great Kobe earthquake, and already 100 massive cranes have broken up and removed the quarter-mile stretch of toppled roadway that had come to symbolize the fallen city. Damaged factories are quickly being repaired and put back in production; key roads are being patched together to carry traffic while more permanent structures are built.

Los Angeles Unified School District students, teachers and employees have raised $36,200 to help earthquake victims in Kobe, Japan, district officials said Monday. Los Angeles school board members Warren Furutani and Julie Korenstein last week presented a check for the Kobe Relief Fund to representatives of the Japan America Society of Southern California and the Japanese Consulate.

The devastating earthquake that hit the western Japanese city of Kobe has disrupted economic activities across Japan, and it will continue to paralyze the city's important port for several months. The destruction of transportation infrastructure in the region means that any company dependent on parts and supplies that must pass through the affected area--the source of an estimated 20% of Japan's economic output--faces difficulty in maintaining normal operations.

For two days, the team of Self Defense Force soldiers in khaki fatigues and helmets had clawed away at the debris of the collapsed home. Underneath, an elderly woman with heart disease lay buried. When they finally pulled her out at midmorning Wednesday in the earthquake disaster area of Nishinomiya, on the outskirts of Kobe, the soldiers covered her body with a blanket. To the small crowd of anxious families and friends gathered at the scene, the meaning was clear: The rescue was too late.

A number of local organizations have set up funds and/or donation centers to help victims of the Japanese earthquake. A partial list follows: * The American Red Cross is accepting money for the Japanese Relief Fund. Send checks to 2700 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif. 90057, or charge donations by calling (800) 842-2200. * The Salvation Army is accepting donations earmarked for Japan Earthquake Relief. Mail contributions to 900 W. 9th St., Los Angeles, Calif. 90015, or call (800) 725-9005.