Expat Guides

Tokyo Property Designed to Withstand Earthquakes

One significant advantage of buying property in Tokyo is that buildings must adhere to very stringent standards because of the Tokyo Building Standards Act.

These standards state that a structure built in 1981 or after must be able to handle an earthquake between 6 and 7 on the seismic scale. Builders must guarantee this by law. The earthquake in the Tohoku region was 9 on the seismic scale but you’ll notice that most buildings even close to the epicenter remained standing. I

t was the tsunami that did the most damage but this was an unusual event as well.

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