Name: Japan is top of the earthquake response game. Heres why
Uploaded: 2025-12-09T03:29:55.760Z
Duration: 2 min 45 s
Description: The latest earthquake in Japan on Dec. 8, which triggered widespread shaking and tsunami alerts, served as another clear example of the nation’s world-leading earthquake response efforts. CBC’s Johanna Wagstaffe explores the factors that make Japan stand out and the lessons other earthquake prone-countries can learn from their approach.

The latest earthquake in Japan on Dec. 8, which triggered widespread shaking and tsunami alerts, served as another clear example of the nation’s world-leading earthquake response efforts. CBC’s Johanna Wagstaffe explores the factors that make Japan stand out and the lessons other earthquake prone-countries can learn from their approach.

Aomori

A recent magnitude 7.6 earthquake off Japan's north coast caused widespread shaking and a small tsunami, but resulted in minimal damage. Japan's reputation as a leader in earthquake response is attributed to its frequent experience with seismic events, comprehensive community awareness, and conservative safety protocols.

Following the 2011 tsunami, Japan implemented strict evacuation procedures, reinforced infrastructure, and regular drills, ensuring communities are well-prepared. In contrast, other regions such as Canada and the US Pacific Northwest are still developing similar levels of preparedness, with Japan's approach serving as a model for effective disaster response.

Japan is top of the earthquake response game. Here's why

The latest earthquake to hit Japan, a magnitude 7.6 off the north coast, triggered widespread shaking and a small tsunami. Even with minimal damage, this quake was a reminder to the rest of the world of why Japan is still the gold standard for earthquake response. Here's why. Japan treats big earthquakes and tsunamis as inevitable, not surprising. They experience over 100,000 quakes a year, with at least 100 of them being felt. And here's why that makes a life-saving difference. I spent quite a bit of time in Japan following the 2011 tsunami. And the communities that they had the least amounts of deaths were those communities where the emergency managers actually hit the button, the evacuation button and the sirens, before even the earthquake had stopped shaking. Most coastal communities know whether they live in a tsunami zone, where to go and how long it takes to get to safety. That level of awareness saves lives, moving to higher ground the moment the shaking stops. Contrast that with what happened here in Canada after the major earthquake off Russia's coast in July 2025. Even towns that see themselves as well-prepared stumbled. When the sirens went off in Tofino, BC, many people weren't sure whether to stay put or run. But there's something else that puts Japan ahead. Japan designs for the worst case. After the 2011 tsunami, evacuation lines, school plans, drills and early warning protocols are rebuilt to be overly conservative. A tsunami water gate that stands 9.3 metres high, and people train to feel the force of just a foot of water pushing against a door. That level of preparation is something North America is still working on. I think people are much more aware of tsunami hazards. So I would give Central and Southern California a C. I would give Northern California a B. And I will give Oregon, Washington and British Columbia, I would give them an A-. This was a thrust fault earthquake. A locked patch of rock suddenly gave way, snapping the overlying rock upward. That vertical motion can lift the seafloor and displace a huge amount of water in the form of a tsunami. It happened where the Pacific Plate dives beneath Japan, that same plate that dives beneath British Columbia. Seduction zones store stress over years, often in different patches. And each quake gives scientists a clear picture of how these faults behave, helping all subduction zone communities, including the Pacific Northwest, prepare for the next one.

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