>Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. This line se

>Wood can flex in a potential earthquake, that's true, they used that in Japan centuries ago, but we've got better materials and technology today. This line seems to imply that modern, new houses in Japan are not made of wood any more. They are. In fact, wood is being used for more and larger stuff, both in Japan and in other countries, because it's flexible and more eco-friendly than steel and concrete. Of course, wood has its weaknesses (like termites) that have to be dealt with using proper engineering practices, but so does reinforced concrete, as seen in the big condo collapse in Miami not that long ago. That said, 10+ story buildings are probably still going to be made of reinforced concrete for the foreseeable future, and Japan has far better construction and maintenance standards than the US for tall buildings, which is why seaside buildings don't randomly collapse here, despite the frequent earthquakes.