A memorial event for thousands of victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake has started in Kobe City, western Japan, on the eve of the 30th anniversary of the natural disaster.

Over 6,400 people died in Kobe and surrounding areas when the earthquake with a magnitude of 7.3 struck before dawn on January 17, 1995.

In the event that started at a park in Kobe on Thursday, lanterns were placed on the ground to form the numbers 1-17, and the Japanese word "yorisou," which symbolizes sympathy.

At around 5 p.m., participants lit the lanterns one by one, using a flame taken from a memorial gas lamp known as Light of Hope that has been kept burning at the park.

A moment of silence was offered at 5:46 p.m., which is exactly 12 hours before the earthquake struck 30 years ago.

Organizers of the event say the word "yorisou" reflects their hope that people who suffered from the disaster should not be forgotten, even as an increasing number of people in the area were born after the disaster.

They say the word also expresses their sympathy for people hit by more recent major earthquakes in eastern Japan in 2011, and on the Noto Peninsula last year.

Fujimoto Shinichi chairs the organizing committee. He expressed his hope that the event at the park will continue to serve as an occasion to keep the memories of the 1995 disaster alive, 10 or 20 years from now.

The memorial event is scheduled to continue through Friday. A moment of silence will be offered again at 5:46 a.m. which is the exact time the earthquake hit in 1995.