Both Hit by Major Earthquakes, Japan's Death Toll Significantly Lower Than Turkey's

On January 1, 2024, Japan was hit by a major earthquake measuring 7.6 on the magnitude scale (M).

According to reports from the Japanese media outlet *NHK World*, this disaster resulted in 62 deaths by January 3, 2024.

To date, there are no definitive reports on the number of buildings damaged or destroyed by the earthquake in Japan.

However, according to *NHK World*, at least 25 houses collapsed in Wajima City, Ishikawa Prefecture, the area of Japan most affected by the earthquake.

Approximately 200 other houses in Wajima City were also destroyed by fires triggered by the earthquake.

Although heartbreaking, the tragedy resulting from the earthquake in Japan was not as severe as that in Turkey.

At the beginning of last year, on February 6, 2023, Turkey was also hit by a major earthquake with a magnitude between M 7.5 and 7.8.

Quoting a report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the earthquake resulted in approximately 46,000 deaths and the destruction of around 230,000 buildings.

Although the strength of the earthquake was not significantly different, the impact of the disaster in Turkey was far worse than in Japan.

This is certainly influenced by various factors, one of which is the disaster mitigation strategy implemented by each country.

According to the report *Incentives for Safer Buildings—Lessons from Japan* (2010), since the 1970s, the Japanese government has developed earthquake-resistant building technology and implemented it as a national standard.

The Japanese government then provided financial assistance for strengthening building construction according to these standards, both for residential houses and public facilities.

Quoting the website of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since the 1960s, the Japanese government has also developed a disaster mitigation strategy encompassing five aspects, namely:

* Research on technical disaster prevention;
* Strengthening of disaster prevention systems, facilities, and tools;
* Construction projects to improve disaster resilience;
* Emergency operations and post-disaster recovery; and
* Improvement of information and communication systems.