Self-Defense Force (SDF) personnel who responded to the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Hyogo Prefecture three decades ago and later worked on the ground during the Great East Japan Earthquake and Noto Peninsula Earthquake are reflecting on how the public’s perception of their work has transformed.
“The earth shook violently, and everything went pitch black. I didn’t even know what had happened,” recalled Staff Sgt. Akihiro Yamamoto, 53, of the Ground Self-Defense Force’s (GSDF) 36th Infantry Regiment.
Yamamoto, stationed at the same Itami base in Hyogo Prefecture where he serves today, was dispatched to assist in search-and-rescue operations after the Hanshin earthquake hit. Struck by the absolute devastation, he was left speechless.
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