Japan marks the 29th anniversary of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake on Wednesday that devastated the western Japanese city of Kobe and surrounding regions.

The 1995 disaster left 6,434 people dead.

At a park in Kobe's Chuo Ward, residents arranged lanterns to form "1.17" to represent the date of the disaster, and "Tomoni," the Japanese word meaning "together."

The word was chosen to express solidarity with people affected by the massive quake centered on the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture on New Year's Day.

It also reflects people's wish to pass on the experiences and lessons to younger generations.

A moment of silence was observed at 5.46 a.m., the exact time the Great Hanshin-Awaji quake occurred and at 4.10 p.m. another observance will mark the time that the Noto quake hit.

More than 300,000 people evacuated to schools and other emergency facilities after the 1995 disaster.

The Cabinet Office says more than 900 survivors later died because of injuries they suffered in the quake, or after their health deteriorated in prolonged evacuations.

The number of possible disaster-related deaths in the Noto quake is rising. Health management of affected people and supporting them to rebuild their lives has become a challenge.