I was living on Guam during a 8.1 or 8.3 (can't recall) quake. What really saved lives there, and I am sure in Japan as well is that they code new buildings (last 2-3 decades) to withstand CAT5 winds from Typhoons and such. My building for example had a foundation described to me as being springs and rollers, that allowed the 13 stories to flex with the wind (and therefore bounce w/ the quake).