Japan's earthquake resilience explained

major earthquakes have hit the west coast of Japan with the most powerful reaching a magnitude of 7.6 but despite that fewer than 100 people have been confirmed killed so what's going [Music] on Japan is one of the world's most earthquake PR countries and a long history of disasters has made them one of the best prepared to withstand them ever since the devastating great Kanto earthquake and Firestorm of 1923 that destroyed Tokyo all buildings in the country have been subject to seismic codes and rigorous earthquake proof design standards many homes are stocked with earthquake survival kits

as well Warning Systems help keep the country safe phones are installed with earthquake and Tsunami alert systems while trains have sensors that freeze them if necessary and schools run regular earthquake drills so how does Japan make sure its buildings are earthquake [Music] proof basic earthquake resistance is required by law in Japan beams pillars and the walls of buildings have to be made to a minimum thickness so they can withstand intense ground shaking vibration control is also really important in Japan and it's done in several different ways dampers can be placed between columns and beams at

each level of a building which can absorb much of the energy of an earthquake another method is called seismic isolation where the whole building structure itself is isolated from the ground by layers of lead steel and rubber which move independently with the earth below this means the building itself moves very little even during the most severe Quakes pendulum power is another type of shock absorber and is primarily used in skyscrapers in Japan a core pillar called shim bashira is built into the middle of a building when a building begins to sway during an earthquake the

pillar acts as a pendulum and moves in the opposite direction to stabilize the building this is what makes Tokyo's iconic Sky Tree building earthquake proof there's also levitating homes which Japanese company air danin has developed homes are fitted with a quake detector if it registers a Tremor a compressor pushes air into the space beneath the building lifting it 1 to 3 cm from the building's Foundation this makes it impossible for the building to shake and therefore helps avoid damage buildings in Japan are also usually made with earthquake resistant materials which Bend rather than break Under

Pressure such as steel or Timber all buildings in Japan have to undergo safety inspections every 10 years that's coupled with strict fire regulations and early detection Warning Systems helped keep Japan safe from major earthquakes but the country is still haunted by the massive 9.0 magnitude earthquake which hit Northeastern Japan in 2011 triggering a tsunami that left tens of thousands dead and caused one of the world's worst nuclear disasters nothing is ever fully earthquake proof and Japan can't prepare for every single eventuality there's always going to be the worry that another earthquake will come with a

tsunami and cause real damage to to the country