The Kobe Shimbun and many local newspapers in the Kobe-Osaka area devoted full pages to features and articles on the quake and its aftermath.

The articles reflect the deep mental scars still affecting survivors, as well as ongoing local efforts at redevelopment, while underlining the need for better disaster-preparation.

The Kobe Shimbun dedicated its “Kobe Chronicle” page to reflecting on the quake. The page regularly traces the past events that fell on the same date. The quake day’s page, looked like an extra issue, carrying shock headlines like “Major Quake Hits South Hyogo Prefecture,” “Over 1,000 Feared Dead or Missing” and “Hanshin Expressway Collapses.”

In the past, the Kobe Chronicle page has dealt with the 1938 Great Hanshin Flood, the 1945 Kobe Air Attack and the end of World War Two. The 1995 Kobe quake has now been the subject of the Kobe Chronicle page for a fifth time. The supervising page editor said the Hanshin Quake has been his top priority, adding that he prepared the contents recalling how frustrated he was at the time of the quake by the newspaper’s limited ability to go to print. The quake destroyed the paper's office and all it could do was issue a four-page evening edition. The editor said many readers still remember that thin evening edition as being a major encouragement nevertheless.

Many of the younger reporters who worked on the special anniversary page joined the newspaper after the 1995 quake. One editor said the special feature gave the younger reporters a chance to interview survivors and to re-live the events with their senior colleagues. Even after 12 years, many survivors still refuse to speak about their terrible memories of the disaster.

In addition to the special page, the Kobe Shimbun on Jan. 17 ran an 8-page supplement of articles on the projected damage expected in western Hyogo Prefecture, known as a fault belt, if another major quake hits, following up with a pull-out first-aid guide.

After this spring's graduation, all elementary school pupils will belong to the generation born after the 1995 quake.

The Osaka edition of the Asahi Shimbun carried a four-page supplement titled “A message to those of you who are 12 years old.” The supplement aims to carry over experiences of the quake to the younger generation and focuses on disaster-preparation education. The newspaper's city news page emphasized the importance of mental counseling for those who grew up amid the post-quake hardship.

The Asahi’s editors and reporters initially planned to raise public awareness about the lessons and experiences of the quake. But they acknowledged that despite the lapse of 12 years, images of the quake are vivid in the minds of the post-quake generation.

Contrasting with the Asahi’s focus on post-quake youth, the Osaka edition of the Yomiuri Shimbun opened a 2-page special on the quake by focusing on baby boomers. Many local government officials who bore the brunt of the post-quake challenges are now retiring. Yomiuri’s special focuses on efforts by local governments to transmit the experiences of the quake and disaster-preparation expertise to younger generations.

The Osaka edition of the Mainichi Shimbun devoted three pages to a special feature on local people engaged in welfare activities for quake survivors. Using its center-spread pages, it carried a map of 271 monuments to the memory of the quake victims.