EARTHQUAKE

RESILIENCY OF
JAPAN
ENGR. CHRIS MADRONA
ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL DEPT.
WHY JAPAN?
WHY JAPAN?
 Japan tops the list of the earthquake prone areas.
 Japan’s physical geography and its location along the Pacific Ring of Fire makes the nation
highly susceptible to earthquakes and tsunamis.
 The Ring of Fire is a tectonic plate in the Pacific Basin that is responsible for 90% of the
world’s earthquakes and 81% of the world’s strongest quakes.
 On top of its prolific tectonic activity, Japan is also home to 452 volcanoes, making it the most
disruptive geographic location in terms of natural catastrophes.
 A tremor occurs in Japan at least every five minutes, and each year there are up to 1,500
quakes that can be felt by people

EARTHQUAKE RESILIENCY OF JAPAN

KOBE EARTHQUAKE (7.2) : JANUARY
17, 1995
RESTORATION PERIOD : 7 YEARS
TOHOKU EARTHQUAKE (9.1) : MARCH
11, 2011
RESTORATION PERIOD : 7 YEARS
FUKUSHIMA EARTHQUAKE (7.1) : JULY
RESTORATION PERIOD : 5 YEARS
WHAT CAUSES EARTHQUAKES IN JAPAN?
(FOLKLORIC STANDPOINT)
NAMAZU : THE EARTHSHAKER
The horizontally
outstretched catfish
divides the picture in
two parts, in the upper
part there are rich
merchants, in the lower
part mourning people
who have lost
everything by the
earthquake. The
aftermath of the
earthquake is depicted
as possibility to
redistribute the wealth;
rich people have to
divide their wealth with
the poor to restore the
general "cosmic"
balance
NAMAZU : THE EARTHSHAKER

The god Kashima immobilize with help of a capstone a

guilty Namazu, demonstrating to a bunch of small
catfishes, representing earthquakes of the past, the severe
punishment for their behaviour. However the catfish tries
to defend his behaviour as response to his envy to other
fish species, much more appreciated and popular in the
traditional Japanese cooking.
NAMAZU : THE EARTHSHAKER

Namazu in the form of yonaoshi daimyojin perpetuating

his harakiri (in Japanese "Seppuku namazu", 1855) - with
his sacrifice he will provide gold and money, dropping
from his belly, for the poor people. Some of these
depictions have also magical powers: whoever take them
home will be protected from earthquakes and experience
"10.000 years of luck"
NAMAZU : THE EARTHSHAKER

A Namazu, representing
the earthquake of Edo
(modern Tokyo) in
October 1855, is
attacked by peasants
and, in the background
help for the catfish is
approaching -
craftsmen, who will take
profit of the
reconstruction of the
city
WHAT CAUSES EARTHQUAKES IN JAPAN?
(TECHNICAL STANDPOINT)
JAPAN TECTONIC PLATE MAP
JAPAN PSHA HAZARD MAP
NOTABLE EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN FOR THE LAST 10 YEARS (AVERAGE : 7.1 MW)
NO NAME OF EARTHQUAKE MOMENT MAGNITUDE DATE
1. Ryūkyū Islands earthquake 7.0 February 26, 2010
2. Bonin Islands earthquake 7.4 December 21, 2010
3. Tōhoku earthquake foreshock 7.2 March 9, 2011
4. Tōhoku earthquake 9.1 March 11, 2011
5. Tohoku Earthquake aftershock 7.1 March 11, 2011
6. Miyagi earthquake 7.1 April 7, 2011
7. Fukushima Earthquake 7.1 July 10, 2011
8. Izu Islands Earthquake 6.8 January 1, 2012
9. Kamaishi Earthquake 7.3 December 07, 2012
10. Off the east coast of Honshu 7.1 October 26, 2013
11. Bonin Islands 7.8 May 30, 2015
12. Kumamoto Earthquake 7.0 April 16, 2016
13. Fukushima Earthquake 6.9 November 22, 2016
14. Osaka Earthquake 5.5 June 18, 2018
15. Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake 6.6 September 6, 2018
16. Tsuruoka earthquake 6.4 June 18, 2019
10
NOTABLE EARTHQUAKE IN JAPAN FOR THE LAST
10 YEARS
9.1
9

8 7.8

MOMENT MAGNITUDE
7.4
7.3
7.1 7.1
7 7
6.9
7 6.8
6.6
6.4

6
5.5

3
2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
YEAR
HOW DO JAPAN CREATE
RESILIENT
EARTHQUAKE PROOF
BUILDINGS?
1. UNDERSTANDING EARTHQUAKE BEHAVIOR OF
STRUCTURES
1. UNDERSTANDING EARTHQUAKE BEHAVIOR OF
STRUCTURES
1. UNDERSTANDING EARTHQUAKE BEHAVIOR OF
STRUCTURES
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION

NOTABLE CHANGES TO EARTHQUAKE BUILDING STANDARDS:

 
– 1924: Earthquake resistant construction regulations were introduced.
– 1950: The introduction of the Building Standards Act and what is now known as “kyu - taishin”.
– 1971: Amendments to the Act for shearing reinforcement and reinforced concrete foundations.
– 1981: The “shin-taishin”, or New Earthquake Resistant Building Standard Amendment.
– 2000: Revision to improve earthquake resistance for wooden structures.
– 2000: Introduction of the 10-Year Warranty Against Defects.
– 2006: Building certificates and inspections became stricter.
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION

- Buildings built to the pre-1981 standard are called “kyu-taishin”

- Buildings built to the new standard are called “shin-taishin“.
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION

Taishin – the basic earthquake resistance required by law.

•Beams, pillars and walls are thicker to provide more strength
against earthquakes.
•Because there is no dampening system, the building structure
takes the brute force of the earthquake. Shaking feels more
violent to occupants of the building. It is easier for damage to be
caused to walls and furniture inside an apartment. The higher the
floor, the higher the degree of shaking.
•Repeated earthquakes may eventually lead to serious damage.
•This method is suitable for low-rise buildings.
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION

Seishin – vibration control.

•This is optional and not required by the law, but is
recommend for high-rise buildings.
•Dampers absorb some of the energy of the
earthquake and reduce the shaking by some degree.
This is more expensive than the regular method but
less expensive than menshin (base isolation).
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION

Menshin – base isolation system.

•This is optional and not required by the law. It is the
most expensive method but is also considered to be
the safest.
•The building structure is isolated from the ground. The
result is a reduction in the force of the shaking – it is
much slower and gentler, but may result in a feeling of
seasickness.
•This construction method is often used in skyscrapers
and high-rise apartments.
.
2. CONTINUOUS STUDY, ADJUSTMENT, AND
IMPROVEMENT OF CODES AND APPLICATION
3. AIMS TO MAKE BETTER TOOLS FOR
EFFICIENT AND ACCURATE ANALYSIS
3. AIMS TO MAKE BETTER TOOLS FOR
EFFICIENT AND ACCURATE ANALYSIS

1.STERA_3D is integrated software for seismic analysis of

reinforced concrete buildings in three dimensional space
developed for research and educational purposes.
STERA_3D has a visual interface to create building models and
show the results easily and rapidly.

STERA_3D enables users to conduct the following analyses of

buildings:
3D elastic modal analysis,
2.3D nonlinear static push-over analysis,
3.3D nonlinear earthquake response analysis.

STERA 3D
Structural Earthquake Response Analysis 3D
Dr. Taiki Saito
EXAMPLES OF EARTHQUAKE
RESISTANT BUILDINGS IN
JAPAN NAME : 54 - storey Mori Tower
LOCATION : Roppongi Hills complex , Tokyo.

FEATURE : Reinforced steel piping and a motion-

absorbing technology called oil dampers. The dampers used
in the building are semi-active and consists of 192 shock
absorbers which are filled with thick oil. When the building
shakes during an earthquake, the dampers counterbalance
the shaking with the oil sliding in the opposite direction to
minimize the tremors.
EXAMPLES OF EARTHQUAKE
RESISTANT BUILDINGS IN
JAPAN NAME : Tokyo Skytree
LOCATION : Sumida, Tokyo

FEATURE : It has a tripod base with a central pillar

connected by flexible oil dampers to the first 125 meters.
The central pillar acts as a counterweight which allows the
outer frame to vibrate in the event of an earthquake; a
damping system keeps the tower’s center of gravity close to
the base. 
EXAMPLES OF EARTHQUAKE
RESISTANT BUILDINGS IN
JAPAN
NAME : Ark Hills Sengokuyama
LOCATION : Tokyo

FEATURE : Steel plates are installed in the cavities between

each floor. These plates are attached to the upper wall of the
cavities and the lower wall is fitted with oil dampers. During
an earthquake, the plates move through the oil dampers
which creates a resisting force against the seismic activity.
EXAMPLES OF EARTHQUAKE
RESISTANT BUILDINGS IN
JAPAN NAME : fa-bo
LOCATION : Noma City, Ishikawa Prefecture

FEATURE : The three-story office building is

enveloped by a curtain of 1,031 braided carbon fiber
rods which extend from the roof and are fastened to
the ground at various angles. The rods are tough and
flexible and capable of protecting the building in the
event of an earthquake. Inside this curtain of rods is
another layer of 2,778 rods that add stability to the
building.
EXAMPLES OF EARTHQUAKE
RESISTANT BUILDINGS IN
JAPAN NAME : Television House
LOCATION : Osaka Prefecture

FEATURE : It is integrated with a seismic isolation

system and load bearing arrangement that keeps the
building steady during earthquakes. The house sits
on a podium with elevated structural beams and a
concrete base which acts as the ground floor. A
hollow base serves as the entrance to the house. The
isolators enable the house to be separated from any
ground tremors.
CONCLUSION
 JAPAN IS A SEISMIC ACTIVE REGION, HAVING APPROXIMATELY 1500
EARTHQUAKES PER YEAR
 STRUCTURAL FAILURES AND CASUALTIES GIVE JAPANESE DESIGNERS A
CHANCE TO STUDY AND IMPROVE THEIR STRUCTURES IN TERMS OF
EARTHQUAKE STABILITY AND READINESS.
 JAPANESE RESILIENCE IN EARTHQUAKE ARE CONTINUOUSLY EVOLVING AND
IMPROVING, GIVING HIGH MARGIN OF SAFETY AMONGST ALL THEIR
STRUCTURES.