TOKYo, JAPAn

While San Francisco and Seattle are located on the North America side of the Pacific ring of fire, Japan is located in a volcanic zone on the Asian side. The Japanese archipelago is the result of several shifting and subducting plates, and these are also the cause of its frequent seismic activity. Tokyo, specifically, is located near a fault zone under the Izu Peninsula.

Earthquakes have been recorded in the Tokyo area (as well as throughout Japan) since before the city’s existence. Japan’s seismic culture could be described as one of awareness and inquiry. In the nineteenth century, earthquakes were often followed by the dispersal of publications as people attempted to make sense of the event. One such publication, Thoughts on Earthquakes by Kojima Tozan, calmly described the 1830 Kyoto Earthquake, normalizing it and placing it in context by reminding the audience that historical records in Japan had noted earthquakes since 887. Perhaps this acceptance of earthquakes as a part of life and history is why Japan has succeeded in proactive action in earthquake engineering and seismic safety, as shown in the timeline below.

Japan is widely considered to be the most seismically prepared country in the world. Early warning systems, highly engineered retrofitting techniques, and the world’s only full-scale shake table make the country a leader in seismic technology. However, its capital is still not without risk. Tokyo’s vulnerabilities include pre-1981 structures that have not been retrofitted, and highly dense residential neighborhoods with tightly-packed wooden buildings, throughout which fire could spread following an earthquake.