TOKYO, Jan. 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Earthquakes are the most feared natural disaster for the Japanese, and the mental trauma stemming from the 1995 tremor in western Japan are still lingering at the 10th anniversary of that devastating disaster, Japanese media polls revealed Monday.

    Leading daily newspaper Asahi Shimbun's survey found that 84 percent of respondents feel most threatened by earthquakes, with 69 percent concerned that a large-scale quake could strike their local.

    The concerns are most prominent in regions extending from Tokyodown to southwestern Hyogo and Osaka Prefectures, where major quakes once hit or giant ones are expected.

    A government assessment report said last month that more than 10,000 people could be killed by an earthquake striking Tokyo and neighboring regions which lost more than 100,000 lives in a 7.9-magnitude in 1923.

    The Japanese people are holding various events to mark the 10thanniversary of the so-called Hanshin Earthquake mainly jolting Kobe and surrounding areas. About 6,400 people perished in that disaster.

    In a survey conducted by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper found that 46 percent of the bereaved people remain in grief in the 7.3-magnitude earthquake.

    Around 15 percent of reconstruction projects has been completed.However, the total production of cities and towns in the Hyogo Prefecture, an indicator of economic strength, has yet to fully recover to the pre-quake level.

    In a separate survey by Kyodo News, 12 percent of survivors in Kobe and neighboring areas said their lives have not recovered at all, and 62 percent want continued or expanded support.

    The survey conducted in November and December last year questioned 200 households living in public housing built for quakesurvivors or apartments rebuilt after the quake.

    Forty-nine percent said they were not satisfied with reconstruction programs implemented by the central and local governments over 10 years, while 43 percent said they were satisfied. Enditem