Osaka Kobe Earthquake

Map of Osaka-Kobe region  

       There are many challenges facing the Osaka-Kobe region. These can be divided into physical and human challenges. One physical challenge is that Japan is located at a destructive plate margin which has created more than 80 volcanoes, a lot of highland and steep mountains and cause earth quakes, this makes building very difficult. A human challenge is transport problems. Because of the rapid growth of the Osaka-Kobe region, road traffic has caused transport issues. Roads are congested and pollution levels are high.  

       For each of the problems this region has encountered, it has had to develop solutions so that Japan could continue to be successful and competitive in world trade. One of the solutions was to build new structures that are better equipped to with stand earthquakes. An example of this is the Akashi Bridge, its foundations are buried deep under the sea bed to resist earth quakes, and the foundation supports have been strengthened to combat fast water currents. Its super structure has been designed to withstand 130 km per hour typhoon winds. A solution to the transport problems in the Osaka-Kobe region was to build the “Shinkansen” or the bullet train. This is the most reliable transport system in the world and it travels at speeds up to 300 km/hr.

       In conclusion I believe that Japan has tackled the problems faced in the Osaka-Kobe region exceptionally well by developing technology to combat physical and human challenges to benefit the people in that area.