European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday january 19, 1995 Japan earthquake the stars and stripes Page 5u.s. Forces ready to lend a hand by Susanne m. Schafer a military writer Washington a . Military forces stand Teady to provide anything from cots to heavy equipment to help Japan recover from tuesdays devastating earthquake Pentagon officials say. And a technical team of government Highway building fire and earthquake experts is set to depart for Japan As Early As this weekend transportation department officials said tuesday. No . Military facilities were damaged nor were any military personnel injured in the quake said Ken Bacon a Pentagon spokesman. President Clinton offered assistance during a visit tuesday to California where he was assessing recovery from Quot a earthquake there a year ago Clinton said americans top military officer a army Gen. John m. Shalikashvil chairman of the joint chiefs of staff a was already in Japan on other business and had promised . Military support. On his return flight to Washington Clinton phoned japanese prime minister Tomiichi Murayama to express condolences to the families of victims and to personally extend the . Offer to Aid in the recovery Effort. A the prime minister accepted the offer of assistance he was grateful for it White House press Secretary Mike my Curry said. Murayama said the most urgent need was to locate the missing and Clinton agreed Mccurry said. The two leaders also pledged to coordinate efforts Over the next several Days on just what role the United states could play in the recovery. A a some 47,000 . Military men and women Are stationed in Japan. About half Are on Okinawa an Island far South of the area where the tremor struck said maj. Steve Manuel a Pentagon spokesman. A we can do anything a Send heavy equipment blankets you name it a he said. Quot. A. A if the japanese ask for equipment to Clear highways or damaged buildings military engineers based in the Pacific Region can provide it Manuel said. Water purification equipment would also be made available As would any kind of medical assistance he said noting that . Military forces often help in disaster Relief missions. A weary respite a quake survivor rests near the ruins of the Motosue wednesday. The shrine was among thousands of build Miyoshi shinto shrine in Kobe Western Japan on Ings that were destroyed in tuesdays earthquake. Experts fear May be just Tokyo apr even As Japan struggled to Cope with an earthquake that shattered the Western port City of Kobe on tuesday quake watchers warned that More powerful jolts could be on the Way. A the movement of Active faults like this one would trigger other movements a said Kazuo Oike a Kyoto University seismologist. A we might face similar major quake proof claim collapses by Deutsche or Csc agent or Tokyo r one of the casualties of tuesdays earthquake in Kobe has been japanese engineers proudly prompted quake proof elevated expressways. The widespread belief that in Japan the structures Are Strong enough to Sway but stay standing in earthquakes has. Received a drubbing the Japan times newspaper said wednesday. Japanese technicians used to be convinced that they had found a Way of building quake proof freeways on stilts. The viaducts could not collapse because the steel and Concrete support columns were built to a special design they said. A we firmly believed that the freeways were Safe,0 said Yasuyo Hashimoto of Tokyo disaster Headquarters. But on tuesday Large sections of the Kobe Osaka freeway were destroyed. At Many spots the stilts broke like matchsticks under the Impact of the quake one 660-foot stretch fell Over sideways. A this is the first time that a freeway has collapsed in Japan. We Are surprised a said an official of the ministry for construction in Tokyo. Renowned construction firms Are perplexed. A i done to know How to explain it a said one top builder who declined Tobe identified. Experts at the construction company Kajima which built sections of several elevated highways in Kobe and Osaka admitted to being surprised at the extent of the damage. A a a a a a a a companies and government agencies said they will immediately seek to find out Why the freeways failed and whether standards must be upgraded. Their conclusions will be especially important for Tokyo where a tangle of such expressways sometimes two stories High pass through residential office and business districts. Distributed by scrip Showard new service. As earthquake devastates Kobe surrounding area he in the weeks before tuesdays earthquake Japan had an unusual amount of seismic activity. Most of the quakes were in the Northern part of the country. Tuesdays temblor entered under an Island in Japan a Inland sea killed and injured thousands of people. It was the worst Urban quake in Japan since 1923. More than 600 aftershocks rattled the Region around Kobe 280 Miles Southwest of Tokyo. Seismologists predicted some aftershocks were Likely to approach the strength of tuesdays quake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.2. Katsuyuki Abe of Tokyo University a seismology Institute said there was a Good Chance that aftershocks with a magnitude of greater than 6 would strike in the coming weeks. A people should remain cautious said. A a. A 1 while the areas around Tokyo and the Northern Island of hokkaido have suffered a series of quakes in the past few years the Western Region around the commercial hubs of Osaka and Kobe has been nearly quake free for some 40 years. A. A a a a a that May be about to change. Oike of Kyoto University said tuesdays quake Marks the Start of a seismically Active phase that could last two or three decades. In the Short term Oike said big aftershocks Are in Cly to shake the Region around Kobe for the next several months. A stress has been building up for some 40 years and there is still a lot left a he said. As bad As the destruction was in Kobe observers were Quick to Point out How much worse a similar magnitude quake in the capital would be. Kobe has a population of 1.4 million 12 million live in Tokyo. Sanyo Shinkanis h o n s Quot u i a a 5\ v Wand sea x quake epicentre Ashiya posh residential area destroyed. K \ i Nis Hinomiya \ Quot Kobe of Kyoto Takar Azuka Takatsuki j l a it we 083 0 Kansas info. I Airport Osaka significant damage in Japan a second largest City. Water Supply is Low. Major fault lines in Wakayama 25 Miles 25 Kmap