The Arima-Takatsuki Fault Zone is an active east-west trending fault system in the Kansai region of western Honshu, running through the heavily urbanised corridor between Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto. It passes close to millions of people and critical infrastructure in one of Japan's most densely populated areas.
This right-lateral strike-slip fault zone accommodates the crustal deformation of southwestern Japan and connects to the broader network of faults that includes the Rokko fault system near Kobe. Its trace runs along the base of mountains and through valleys that channel major transport and population.
The fault zone is associated with a large historical earthquake in the year 1596, and it lies close to the source region of the devastating 1995 Kobe (Great Hanshin) earthquake of magnitude 6.9 that killed more than 6,000 people. This proximity keeps the Arima-Takatsuki zone at the forefront of urban earthquake hazard assessment in Japan.