A country better prepared than anyone

Japan has a huge amount of seismic activity due to it's close proximity to tectonic plate boundaries.  They have on average 1,500 earthquakes each year, of course many of these are very small but they do experience a few very catastrophic quakes happening each century, The most recent of which occurred in 2011, which was a record breaking 9.0 followed by a horrific tsunami.  


The people of Japan have learned from these past disasters and invest heavily in earthquake and tsunami preparation.  At an early age children in Japan are taught what to do during an earthquake; from diving under desks to staying away from falling debris.  Every office and most houses have an earthquake emergency kits, with food, water, and medical supplies. Offices and school also keep hard-hats and gloves for use in the event of a quake.

Japan has some of the strictest building codes to protect against the larger earthquakes.  With limits of how much a building is allowed to even sway during a quake and most high-rise towers contain extra steel bracing. giant rubber pads and hydraulic shock absorbers, this makes all of Japan's newer buildings some of the safest in the world.  Yet many of Japan's quakes are followed by tsunamis which are a disaster in themselves.  Which is why they've invested in sea walls to protect their most vulnerable areas.  

Glanz, James. Onishi, Norimitsu "Japan’s Strict Building Codes Saved Lives." http://www.nytimes.com/ March 11, 2011Foster, Peter "Japan earthquake: country better prepared than anyone for quakes and tsunamis" http://www.telegraph.co.uk/ 11 mar 2011