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“The Japanese Building Code (BSLJ) explicitly requires that buildings withstand moderate earthquakes with almost no damage, while collapse prevention and life-safety is required for severe earthquakes. It is expected that a typical building will be subjected to several moderate earthquakes during their service life, while the likelihood of occurrence of a severe earthquake during the same period is rare.”

(Comparison of the Seismic Code Provisions of the National Building Code of Canada and the Building Standard Law of Japan, https://www.caee.ca/12CCEEpdf/192-oZfU-119.pdf)

A similar approach is used in California and other places under the name Performance-Based Design.