Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions

in the Japanese Building Codes
Masaomi Teshigawara

Abstract The outline of seismic provisions in the building code of Japan is introduced. They feature a two-phase design for earthquakes. The first phase design is
for medium earthquake motions, and this is basically working stress design. The
second phase design is intended to give protection to buildings in case of severe
ground shaking. It requires the checking of several aspects of the building. These
include story drift, vertical stiffness distribution, horizontal eccentricity and ultimate lateral load carrying capacity. Both phases of the design are reviewed in detail.
Some provisions are discussed in the light of recent earthquake damage in Japan.
This paper is revised one written by Aoyama [1]. That is to say, this appendix is
heavily quoted from the paper by Aoyama [1], and revised to include several amendments in the building code of Japan after 2000.

A.1

Introduction

The seismic design of Japanese buildings is featured by a two-phase design for

earthquakes. The first phase design for earthquakes aims at the safety and reparability of buildings during medium earthquake motions. The second phase design for
earthquakes is added to give safety against severe ground shaking.
The history of seismic design in Japanese building code started in 1924 when the
Urban Building Law was revised, as a consequence of the disaster of great Kanto
earthquake of 1923. This adopted a set of structural provisions including a seismic
coefficient of 0.1. After the World War 2 the Building Standard Law replaced the
Urban Building Law with much more elaborate provisions for various aspects of

M. Teshigawara (*)
Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
e-mail: [email protected]
Architectural Institute of Japan (ed.), Preliminary Reconnaissance Report of the 2011
Tohoku-Chiho Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake, Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake
Engineering 23, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54097-7, Springer Japan 2012

421

422

M. Teshigawara

structural design. The standard value of seismic coefficient was raised to 0.2. The
essential feature of seismic design was, however, unchanged as this increase in seismic loading was accompanied by comparable increase in the allowable stresses for
various materials.
Both the Urban Buildings Law and the Building Standard Law specified only
loadings and allowable stresses, and certain minimum requirements for the detailing
of members. Details of structural design, such as methods of structural analysis and
the proportioning of members, are specified in the Structural Standards issued by
the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ), and Commentary on the Structural
Calculation based on the Revised Enforcement Order, Building Standard Law (in
Japanese), supervised by Housing Bureau and National Institute of Land
Infrastructure Management in Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and
Tourism (MLIT), and Japan Conference of Building Administration, 2007. These
Standards, prepared separately for each structural material, have served as the supplements to the Law. They have been revised more frequently to adapt new knowledge and to provide for new materials as they developed.
A particularly important event regarding seismic design was the 1968 Tokachi
Oki earthquake which caused significant damage to modern buildings designed in
accordance with building regulations. Various actions were undertaken as a consequence of this event. A partial revision of the Building Standard Law incorporating
ultimate strength design in shear of reinforced concrete, the establishment of review
procedure of existing buildings for seismic safety, were some of the changes.
The following year, another important event took place, the 1978 Miyagi-ken
Oki earthquake. Damage was as severe as in the 1968 Tokachi Oki earthquake. It
also demonstrated the more complicated characteristics of urban disaster in the city
of Sendai with more than 600,000 populations.
In July, 1980 a revision of the Enforcement Order of the Building Standard Law
was released. It was also announced that this order, together with supplementary
documents, would be enforced from the first of June, 1981. The second phase design
for earthquakes is added in this time to give safety against severe ground shaking.
After the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earthquake, another seismic design method,
Response and Limit Deformation, is introduced in 2000. This utilizes the linear
response spectrum, in which earthquake motion is defined on the engineering bedrock whose shear wave velocity is not less than 400 m/s, and amplification of subsoil in construction site is considered.
In this chapter a simple review of the revised seismic design method in 1981 is
attempted.

A.2

Types of Construction in Japan

Figure A.1 shows types of building construction and the commonly employed number of story for each type of construction. Traditionally, Japanese houses have been
built in timber, and they are one or two story high. They are still very common.

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

423

60
50
40
30

OFFICES

25

Number of Stories

20
18

OFFICES

16

HOTELS

14

APART-

12

HWF

MENTS

10
9
8
7

HOSP-

ITALS

APART-

MENTS

3
2
1
0

SCHOOLS

OFFICES
SHOPS

HOUSES
Timber

R.C.Wall

R.C.Frame

S.R.C.

Steel

Fig. A.1 Types of construction in Japan

Recently, three story timber houses can be built. Masonry houses are scarce.
Although provisions exist in Japan for the construction of reinforced concrete block
masonry apartment houses up to three stories high, this construction is not shown in
Fig. A.1.
The more common type of construction for apartment houses uses reinforced
concrete wall structures. For these structures the building code allows a much simpler method of design than for ordinary reinforced concrete frame construction.
This wall construction is in the majority of low-rise apartment houses, ranging
from three to five stories. High rise framed wall construction (HFW) which consists
of wall-column and wall-beam in the longitudinal direction is also used for higher
buildings up to 15 stories.
Ordinary reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures, with or without shear walls,
represent the most common type of construction for various types of buildings, such
as shops, offices, schools, and hospitals, ranging from three to seven stories. It may
also be used for lower or higher buildings. At present the tallest RC frame structure
is a 56 storied apartment building in Tokyo.

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M. Teshigawara

However, in ordinary cases Building Officials recommend the use of SRC

construction for buildings taller than seven stories until 1990. SRC, an abbreviation
for steel-reinforced-concrete, is a composite construction method consisting of a
structural steel frame encased in reinforced concrete. It has a long history in Japan,
probably evolving from as early as 1920, when buildings were constructed with
exterior steel frames encased in brick masonry and interior steel frames encased in
concrete. SRC was generally believed to be more ductile and hence more earthquake-resistant than ordinary reinforced concrete.
A steel structure is used for most high-rise construction in Japan ranging from
about 15 stories up to the tallest building in Japan, at present the 70 storied
Yokohama Land Mark Tower. Recently steel structures became more popular in all
ranges of buildings, mainly due to the rapid erection on the site. Some of these are
frame structures but for lateral load resistance many of them rely, at least partly, on
bracing.

A.3

General Flow Chart of Seismic Design

Figure A.2 shows the general flow of structural design stipulated by the current
Enforcement Order of the Building Standard Law. All buildings are first divided
into four groups, mainly based on their heights. They are shown in the boxes marked
as (1)(4).
For buildings taller than 60 m, in box (4), provisions of the Building Standard
Law do not apply directly. These high-rise buildings are to be designed by the special study, usually incorporating time-history, non-linear response analyses. The
design is then subjected to the technical review by the High-rise Building Structure
Review Committee in examination organization entrusted the Minister of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, such as the Building Center of Japan. Upon
its recommendation, a special approval of the structural design is issued by the
MLIT.
For buildings, not exceeding 60 m in height, the basic intent of the general flow
in Fig. A.2 is to make a two-phase design. This means that an additional design
phase, hereafter called the second phase design for earthquakes, follows the working stress design, including the seismic design, hereafter called the first phase design
for strong earthquakes which can occur several times during the life time of the
building. The second phase design is intended mainly for severe or extraordinary
earthquakes which could occur once in the life time of the building.
The application of the two-phase design is shown in Fig. A.2 for three different
groups of buildings up to 60 m in height, in boxes (1)(3).
For all of these buildings, working stress design is carried out first, box (5),
including the first phase seismic design. As explained later, this is an allowable
stress design for permanent and temporary loadings, also taking ultimate strength
into account. Major changes of the code in 1981 relevant to this phase of the design
is the method of seismic force evaluation.

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

(1) Timber construction.

Others, specified by
Ministry of Construction

(2)

(3)
31m<h<60m

425

(4)
h>60m

(1)

(5) Conventional structural design including

first phase design for earthquakes

(6) Check for story drift

Note:h=height

Second phase
design for
earthquakes
(7) Check for
rigidity factor
and eccentricity
(8) Use of
specifications
of Ministry of
Construction

(9) Check
ultimate
capacity for
lateral load

(10) Approval by building officials of local

government body

(11) Special
approval
required

Fig. A.2 General flow chart of seismic design

Box (1) is for buildings of the most prevalent construction type in Japan. A detailed
description of these buildings is given later. They include low-rise buildings of reinforced concrete with a generous amount of shear walls. For these buildings there is
ample experience in Japan in seismic design and also evidence of seismic behavior.
The first phase design, basically unchanged from the rules of the former building
code, should be successful in providing sufficient seismic resistance for these buildings to withstand severe earthquakes. Hence the second phase design need not be
applied to these buildings.
For buildings of boxes (2) and (3), the second phase design follows. The most
important step in the second phase design is the evaluation of ultimate capacity for
lateral load in box (9). However, other considerations listed in boxes (6)(8), are
also included in the second phase design.
The evaluation of story drift, box (6), is intended to eliminate soft structures which
might experience excessively large lateral deflection under the seismic loading. In the

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M. Teshigawara

case of ordinary reinforced concrete buildings this check will never be critical.
However, the results of calculations are needed later for items given in box (7) or (9).
For buildings whose height is up to 31 m, box (2), there is a choice of flow into
boxes (7) and (8), or into box (9).
Box (7) requires a check for the rigidity factor and the eccentricity. The rigidity
factor refers to the vertical distribution of lateral stiffness. The purpose of this check
is to eliminate buildings with one or more soft stories among the other stories, such
as the soft first story. Checking for eccentricity is necessary to provide protection
against excessive torsional deformation. These checks are followed by satisfying a
set of additional minimum requirements specified by the MLIT, box (8), to ensure
certain levels of strength and ductility. Thus, the option of boxes (7) and (8) is
intended to allow exemption from the evaluation of the ultimate capacity for lateral
load for buildings up to 31 m in height if they have a reasonably regular structural
system conforming to the additional minimum requirements.
However, there is no such choice for buildings exceeding 31 m in height, box (3).
These must be evaluated and checked for the ultimate lateral load carrying capacity.
This route is the most straightforward application of the philosophy of the two-phase
design.
The purpose of the check for ultimate capacity for lateral load is to evaluate the
actual strength of the structure by means of limit analysis, and to ascertain that the
response deformations would indeed lie within the ductility capacity provided.
The structural design and drawings must be presented to the local government
body for approval by the corresponding building officials of the city, town, or prefecture, as conforming to the requirements of the Building Standard Law. This
approval system became open to private organizations after the revision of the
Building Standard Law in 2000.

A.4
A.4.1

First Phase Design for Earthquakes

Load Combinations and Design Method

The first phase design for earthquakes, as shown in box (5) of Fig. A.2, is a part of
working stress design as prescribed by the Enforcement Order of the Building
Standard Law, which considers in usual circumstances five kinds of loading.
These are: dead load, D; live load, L; snow load, S; wind forces, W; and seismic
force, E. For permanent loading, the following load combinations are considered:
F = D+L

(A.1a)

F = D + L + S (in designated snowy areas)

(A.1b)

For short time (temporary) loading, the following load combinations are considered:
F = D+L+S

(A.2)

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

427

F = D+ L +W

(A.3a)

F = D + L + S + W (in designated snowy areas)

(A.3b)

F = D+L+E

(A.4a)

F = D + L + + S + E (in designated snowy areas)

(A.4b)

In the case of reinforced concrete buildings, Eqs. (A.2), (A.3a) or (A.3b) will
never be critical because of the dominance of dead load, hence only Eqs. (A.1a) and
(A.4a), or (A.1b) and (A.4b), are used.
The design is still based on the working stress design method. However, for short
time loading, the allowable stress for steel is taken as its specified yield strength,
and that for concrete is taken at two-thirds of its specified compressive strength.
This means that in most cases where the tensile strength of the steel is a dominant
factor in flexural calculation, the resulting section would be very similar to that
obtained from the use of the ultimate strength design method. The design for shear
is based on an empirical equation derived from the ultimate shear strength. The
design shear force is taken as the smaller of the shear force associated with the
flexural yielding of the member (in case of columns yielding of the column at one
end and the yielding of beams at the other end of the column may be assumed) or
the shear force calculated using factored earthquake load.
The load factor for this case should not be less than l.5.

A.4.2

Evaluation of Seismic Force

The chief revision in 1981 of the first phase design for earthquakes was in the
method of evaluating lateral seismic force, Q. This is to be calculated as the seismic
shear at an i-th level of a building with the following equation:
n

Qi = Ci Wi

(A.5)

Ci = ZRt A i C0

(A.6)

i=i

where
Qi = seismic shear force at i-th story
Wi = weight of i-th story (This includes dead load plus reduced live load and, if
located in the designated snowy zone, reduced snow load.)
n = number of stories
Ci = shear coefficient at i-th story
Z = seismic zone factor

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M. Teshigawara

Rt = vibration characteristics factor

Ai = vertical distribution factor
C0 = standard shear coefficient
Before 1981, lateral seismic force at i-th story, Pi, was evaluated by the following
equation:
Pi = 0.2Wi Z (h is not higher than 16m )

(h 16 )
= 0.2 + 0.01 int
(h > 16m )
4

where Wi, Z are the same as above.

A.4.3

The Seismic Zone Factor

The seismic zone factor Z is shown in Fig. A.3. A similar seismic zoning has been
in effect since 1952. The zoning in Fig. A.3 was published in 1978. It is based on
the most recent assessment of seismicity over Japan at that time. As seen in this
figure, the value of Z = 0.7 is the smallest, and is applicable only to Okinawa
Islands.
The large cities such as Tokyo, Osaka or Nagoya are within the zone A where
Z = l.0.

A.4.4

The Vibration Characteristics Factor

The vibration characteristics factor Rt in Eq. (A.6) is a function of natural period,

T and the type of subsoil. It is evaluated from the following equations:
Rt = 1 when T Tc
2

Rt = 1.0 2.0 1 when Tc < T 2Tc

Tc
Rt = 1.6

Tc
when T > 2Tc
T

(A.7)

(A.8)

where T is the fundamental natural period in seconds, and Tc is the critical period in
seconds, determined according to the type of subsoil.

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

429

Fig. A.3 Seismic zone factor

The fundamental natural period is to be calculated by the following expression:

T = (0.02 + 0.01a )h
where,
h = height of the building in meters
a = ratio of the height of story, consisting of steel columns and girders, to the entire
height h
This means that T = 0.03 h for steel structures and T = 0.02 h for concrete
structures.
The critical period Tc is given in Table A.1. The resulting value of Rt seen in
Eqs. (A.7) and (A.8) is shown in Fig. A.4.

430

M. Teshigawara

Table A.1 Values of Tc

Type of soil Description of soi1

Tc

Type I

0.4

Type II
Type III

Rock, stiff sand or gravel, and other soils mainly consisting of tertiary
or older layers or any other soil that is shown by a special study to
possess a natural period similar to above soils
Other than type I or type III
Alluvium mainly consisting of organic or other soft soil (including fill if any)
whose depth is 30 m or greater, reclaimed land from swamps or muddy
shoal where the ground depth is 3 m or greater and less than 30 years
have passed since the reclamation, or any other soil that is shown by
special study to possess a natural period similar to above soils

0.6
0.8

Fig. A.4 Vibration characteristics factor Rt

When the period of vibration is more accurately evaluated by a suitable method,

or the vibration characteristics coefficient Rt is evaluated by a special study considering structural behavior during earthquakes, such as soilstructure interaction, the
value of Rt may be taken less than the value given by Eqs. (A.7) and (A.8), yet limited to be 3/4 of the value given by these equations.

A.4.5 Story Shear Force Distribution Factor Along Building

Height Ai
The vertical distribution factor Ai in Eq. (A.6) specifies the distribution of lateral
seismic forces in the vertical direction, and is calculated by the following
expression:

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

431

Fig. A.5 The vertical

distribution factor Ai

1
2T
Ai = 1 +
ai
ai
1 + 3T

(A.9)

where,
ai = non dimensional weight (or height)by the following expression:
n

ai =

i=i
n

(A.10)

i =1

where,
Wi = weight of i-th story
n = number of stories
As seen in Fig. A.5, the vertical distribution factor is close to a uniform value for
shorter periods. Larger lateral force is assigned to the upper part of a building with
long period.
When the vertical distribution of seismic force is evaluated by a special study
considering the dynamic characteristics such as spectral modal analysis, Eqs. (A.9)
and (A.10) need not be applied.

432

A.4.6

M. Teshigawara

Standard Shear Coefficient

The standard shear coefficient C0 in Eq. (A.6) has been determined to be not less
than 0.2 for the first phase seismic design. An exception is the case of wooden buildings in designated soft subsoil areas, when the value of C0 must be not less than 0.3.
Equation (A.6) will also be used later for ultimate capacity for lateral load in the
second phase seismic design, in which case the value of the standard shear coefficient
C0 must be not less than 1.0.
In the commentary of the revised Building Standard Law [4], it is explicitly
stated that the adopted two-phase design procedure for earthquakes can be regarded
as the design for two different intensities of earthquake motion. The first phase
design with the adoption of C0 = 0.2, is from the experience of 1923 Kanto earthquake in Tokyo.
After the enforcement of the seismic design in 1924, practically all Japanese
buildings have been designed to the level of protection corresponding to the design
seismic coefficient C0 = 0.2.
Experiences earthquakes with Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) intensity 4
and 5 have shown that the majority of these buildings have behaved satisfactorily,
and were almost without damage. The purpose of the first phase design is now to
protect buildings in case of earthquakes which can occur several times during the
life of the building. Such earthquake motions may be considered as having seismic
intensity 5 on the JMA intensity scale, with the maximum acceleration of
80100 cm/s2. Buildings are expected to respond to earthquakes of this level without loss of function. This design objective is assumed to be achieved by the first
phase design.
The second phase design is intended to ensure safety against an earthquake which
could occur once in the life time of the building. Such earthquake motion may be as
strong as that of 1923 Kanto earthquake in Tokyo, whose seismic intensity of 6
upper or even 7 in terms of JMA intensity scale with the maximum acceleration of
300400 cm/s2. The traditional seismic design, as prescribed by the previous
Enforcement Order before 1981, did not include direct evaluation of safety against
such earthquake motions.
It was expected that buildings designed under seismic coefficient of C0 = 0.2
would safely survive severe earthquakes as a result of built-in over strength and
ductility. Whether the structure possessed adequate levels of over strength and
sufficient ductility was not expressly required to be confirmed.
Recent experiences in major earthquakes, such as 1968 Tokachi Oki earthquake
or the 1978 Miyagi-ken Oki earthquake, have shown in fact that the majority of
Japanese buildings had adequate over strength and ductility to survive without any
damage or with minor damage. However, about 10 % of the affected buildings suffered appreciable damage and several buildings among these reached the stage of
collapse.
The second phase design procedure is intended to ensure that serious damage
will not occur, and this will be discussed later.

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

433

Fig. A.6 Seismic coefficient

for basement

A.4.7

Seismic Force Acting in the Basement

The Building Standard Law also contains provisions for the seismic force to be
considered at basements. Unlike the seismic shear force for the upper portion of
buildings, the seismic force in the basement is calculated as the inertia force acting
at the basement of the building directly, by multiplying the sum of the total dead and
live loads for the basement, WB , by the following seismic coefficient:
H

k 0.1 1 Z
40

(A.11)

where,
k = horizontal seismic coefficient
H = depth from the ground level in m measured to the bottom of the basement, but it
shall not be taken more than 20 m
Z = seismic zone factor as in Eq. (A.6)
The story shear force QB at any basement level may then be calculated as follows:
QB = Q + kWB

(A.12)

where
Q = the portion of seismic story shear force in the adjacent upper story that is carried
by columns and shear walls directly above the basement being considered
WB = weight of the basement story considered
Figure A.6 shows the distribution of seismic coefficient by Eq. (A.11).

434

A.5
A.5.1

M. Teshigawara

Second Phase Design for Earthquakes

Outline of the Second Phase Design

As was discussed earlier, the two phase design procedure in the Building Standard
Law can be regarded as design for two different intensities of earthquake motion. In
particular, the second phase design was introduced as the direct and explicit evaluation of overstrength and ductility. This identifies whether the available ductility
capacity is sufficient for the ductility demand in case of severe earthquake motions
of the class of JMA intensity scale of 6 upper or 7, considering also the over-strength
of the structure provided. Such evaluation can be made only when the object is
clearly defined. Structural configuration and dimension of members and in some
cases even the details, must be given. In this sense the second phase design may be
regarded as analysis, rather than design.
The principal objective of the first phase design may be said to create the object
for this analytical procedure. Thus the essential part of the second phase design is a
check for ultimate lateral load carrying capacity, i.e., box (9) in Fig. A.2. However,
it has been pointed out that several other checks are necessary as indicated by recent
earthquakes in Japan. They are thus included in the second phase design as shown
in boxes (6)(8) in Fig. A.2.

A.5.2

Story Drift

The story drift limitation is to be investigated first, as shown by the box (6) in
Fig. A.2. The story drift di under the action of design seismic shear force of
Eq. (A.5) is calculated by the elastic analysis, and the story deformation angle Ri is
calculated as:
Ri =

di
hi

(A.13)

where hi is the story height. The story deformation angle Ri should not be greater
than 1/200.
If nonstructural elements are used that can sustain greater structural deformation,
or if they are made of deformable materials, Ri can exceed the above limit. However,
in no case should Ri exceed l/120. This story drift limitation was introduced in view
of increasing earthquake damage to architectural parts of buildings, particularly of
steel buildings.
It should be noted that the calculated story drift results from the action of seismic
shear force given by Eq. (A.5), i.e. for the first phase design for earthquakes. Under
the action of severe earthquakes assumed in the second phase design, the story drift
will become much larger than that predicted by Eq. (A.13).

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

435

For reinforced concrete buildings the story drift limitation will be seldom critical
because of the large initial stiffness of the structure. Nevertheless this check cannot
be omitted as the results are used in the subsequent steps of second phase design.

A.5.3

Rigidity Factor and Eccentricity Factor

One of the most effective ways in the design of earthquake-resistant buildings is to

provide a well-balanced, regular structural layout for the building in the early stage
of the design. Buildings with non-uniform rigidity along the building height, for
example having a soft first story, or buildings with horizontal eccentricities, for
example having an eccentric service core, should be designed with particular care.
They are certainly more difficult to design than regularly shaped buildings. As a
result of these requirements the structure is likely to become more costly and yet the
benefits in terms of behavior remain doubtful. Whenever possible, such irregular
buildings should be avoided.
Damage observed after the 1968 Tokachi Oki earthquake or the 1978 Miyagiken Oki earthquake revealed in particular the vulnerability of irregular buildings
and indicated the superior performance of regular buildings.
Consequently, it was intended to provide some relaxation in the design of regular
buildings in the flow chart of Fig. A.2. For buildings whose height does not exceed
31 m, [box (2)] it was made possible to bypass box (9) by ensuring the requirements
of boxes (7) and (8).
The rigidity factor is defined in Fig. A.7. The reciprocal of the story deformation
angle Ri is expressed by rsi, and then the rigidity factor of the i-th story Rsi is defined
as the ratio of rsi and the average value, i.e.,
Rsi =

rsi
rsa

rsi =

1
Ri

(A.14)

where

and
n

si

rsa =

i =1

Rsi is less than 1.0 in a story whose rigidity is less than the average rigidity of
stories. The Building Standard Law now requires to meet Eq. (A.15) for any stories.

Rsi 0.6

(A.15)

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M. Teshigawara

Fig. A.7 Rigidity factor

If there is a story which does not satisfy Eq. (A.15), the structure has to be
checked for ultimate lateral load carrying capacity, i.e. it must follow the flow into
box (9) in Fig. A.2.
The definition of eccentricity factor is as shown in Fig. A.8. G is the centre of
gravity of the total mass above the story considered. R is the centre of rigidity, or
centre of rotation under the action of torsional moment. Eccentricity distances associated with loadings x and y-direction, ex and ey, respectively, are measured from R
as shown in this figure. Then the eccentricity factors Rex, Rey are defined as follows:
Rex =

ex
rex
(A.16a)

Rey =

ey
rey

(A.16b)

rex =

rotational stiffness
translational stiffness in x

(A.17a)

rey =

rotational stiffness
translational stiffness in y

(A.17b)

where
rex, rey = elastic radii defined as follows:

The terms of rotational and translational stiffness will be defined subsequently.

The Building Standard Law specifies
Rex 0.15 and

Rey 0.15

in all stories. If there is any story which does not satisfy Eqs. (A.17a) and (A.17b),
the building has to be checked for the ultimate lateral load carrying capacity, i.e.,
should go to box (9) in Fig. A.2.

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

437

Fig. A.8 Principal quantities

to determine story stiffness
properties

A.5.4

Specified Minimum Requirements

A building which passed the checks for the rigidity and eccentricity factors is
considered to be a regular building. It is likely to be seismically safe. Hence they
can be exempted of the time consuming check for ultimate lateral load carrying
capacity as long as they can also satisfy a set of minimum requirements specified by
the MLIT.
For steel structures not exceeding 31 m in height, the following conditions must
be satisfied in the structural calculations.
1. If the building includes stories (except the basement) that are braced to carry
horizontal forces, the force in the members in each of those stories due to the
design seismic force must be increased by the factor b as follows:
When b

5
7

b = 1 + 0.7b

b>

5
7

b = 1.5

where, b is the ratio of horizontal force carried by the braces to the entire story
shear in the story being considered.
2. It must be shown, when necessary, that columns, girders, and their connections, do not lose their load carrying capacity rapidly due to local buckling or
fracture.
Thus for steel structures the minimum requirements result in assurance of increased
strength and ductile behavior of braces, and ductile behavior of frames when the
frames carry some portion of lateral loads.
For reinforced concrete and steel reinforced concrete structures not exceeding
31 m in height, the minimum requirements consist of satisfying any one of the following three conditions.

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M. Teshigawara

1. In each story the following empirical equations must be satisfied:

For RC 2.5a A w + 0.7a A c 0.75ZWA i

(A.18a)

For SRC 2.5a A w + 1.0a A c 0.75ZWA i

(A.18b)

where
Aw = horizontal area of shear walls in the direction of the seismic forces considered
in mm2
Ac = horizontal area of columns in mm2
Z = seismic zone factor given in Eq. (A.6)
W = weight of the portion of the building that is carried by the story considered in N
Ai = vertical distribution factor given in Eq. (A.6)
Fc
20
This expression is similar to the one used in specifying buildings for which
second phase design for earthquakes is not required [box (1) in Fig. A.2]. This
aspect will be discussed later in detail, but in essence Eqs. (A.18a) and (A.18b)
specifies the condition for buildings with relatively large amount of shear wall
area and hence with a relatively high ultimate lateral load carrying capacity.
2. In each story the following empirical equations must be satisfied:
a = modification factor of concrete strength,

For RC 1.8a A w + 1.8a A c ZWA i

(A.19a)

For SRC 2.0a A w + 20.a A c ZWA i

(A.19b)

where Aw, Ac, Z, W, Ai, a are as defined for Eqs. (A.18a) and (A.18b).
This expression will also be reexamined in connection with the conditions for
which second phase design for earthquakes is not required. Equations (A.19a)
and (A.19b) intend to distinguish buildings with many columns with wing walls
and hence with relatively high ultimate lateral load carrying capacity and ductility. Columns with wing walls are extensively used in Japan. The wing walls
significantly contribute to the strength and stiffness for earthquake actions.
3. All columns and girders must be designed so that premature shear failure is prevented. This is to ensure energy dissipating capacity for the frames.
In this case no requirements are made for the amount and behavior of shear walls.

A.5.5

Check for Ultimate Lateral Load Carrying Capacity

The most important step in the second phase design for earthquakes is to check the
ultimate lateral load carrying capacity, i.e. box (9) in Fig. A.2.

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

439

First, member strengths are evaluated, based on the material strength and
geometry of sections obtained from the results of the first phase design. Then the
ultimate lateral load carrying capacity is calculated by any method, including
incremental nonlinear analysis, limit analysis, and simplified methods suitable for
approximate hand calculation. In any case, an appropriate vertical distribution of
horizontal forces, Ai is assumed, and the each story shear, associated with the formation of collapse mechanism, is found.
It is required that the ultimate lateral load carrying capacity in each story thus
found must exceed the required shear force Qun given below:
Qun = Ds Fes Qud

(A.20)

where,
Qud = standard seismic shear in a story
Ds = structural characteristics factor
Fes = a shape factor which considers the rigidity and the eccentricity factors
The standard seismic shear in the story, Qud is calculated using Eqs. (A.5) and
(A.6). Thus this procedure is similar to the evaluation of seismic force in the first
phase design for earthquakes, except that the standard shear coefficient C0 in
Eq. (A.6) is now taken to be not less than 1.0. Therefore, Qud is five times the design
story shear obtained in the first phase design, unless the dynamic characteristics of
the building, such as the natural period, vibration characteristics of the factor Rt, or
the vertical distribution factor Ai, are recomputed.
The factors Ds and Fes are examined in the following two sections, respectively.

A.5.6

Structural Characteristics Factor

The structural characteristics factor Ds takes into account inelastic deformations and
energy dissipation.
The second phase design is intended to ensure the safety against severe earthquakes of the order of 6 upper or 7 in terms of the JMA intensity scale. Although the
building is expected to survive without collapse, some cracking or yielding is
expected. Structures will have variable degrees of energy dissipating capacity, or
ductility. The structural characteristics factor Ds is used to reduce the elastic response
story shear according to the available ductility, as given in Tables A.2 and A.3 for
steel and reinforced concrete structures, respectively.

440

M. Teshigawara

Table A.2 Ds values for steel structure

Structural type

Framing members

(a) Rigid frames or braced

frames bw 0.3, or braced
frames with very short braces

(b) Braced frames

with very long
or short braces

(c) Braced
frames with
long braces

(i) Most ductile

(ii) Very ductile
(iii) Ductile
(iv) Others

0.25
0.30
0.35
0.40

0.30
0.35
0.40
0.45

0.35
0.40
0.45
0.50

Note:
(a) b = load ratio carried by braces as defined in Sect. A.5.4
Very short braces correspond to l 500 fy , where l is effective slenderness ratio of the bracing member considering the appropriate end conditions and fy is the yield strength in Mpa
(b and c) Short braces: 500/ fy < l 900/ fy
Long braces: 900/ fy < l 2000/ fy
Very long braces: l 2000/ fy
(iiv) These depend on restrictions on width to thickness ratio, strength of joints and span length
of beams. For details see [3]
Table A.3 Ds values for reinforced concrete structures (for steel reinforced concrete structures,
subtract 0.05 from the tabulated value of Ds)
Structural type

Framing members

(a) Rigid frames or v

ery ductile shear wall
with bw 0.5

(b) Very ductile or

ductile shear wall
with bw 0.7

(c) Very ductile or ductile

shear wall with bw 0.7,
or less ductile shear wall

(i) Most ductile

(ii) Very ductile
(iii) Ductile
(iv) Others

0.30
0.35
0.40
0.45

0.35
0.40
0.45
0.50

0.40
0.45
0.50
0.55

Note:
(ac) bw = ratio of load carried by shear walls to total story shear. The classification, very ductile,
ductile, or less ductile shear walls depends mainly on the shear stress level at ultimate and on the
mode of failure. For details see [3]
(iiv) These depend on restrictions on length-to-depth ratio, axial force, axial reinforcement ratio,
shear stress level at ultimate state, and the mode of failure. For details see [3]

A.5.7

Shape Factor

The shape factor Fes is intended to take into account their regularity of the structure
expressed in terms of rigidity factor and eccentricity determined as follows:
Fes = Fs Fe

(A.21)

where
Fs = basic shape factor determined as a function of the rigidity factor Rs [Rs is given
by Eq. (A.14)]

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

Fs = 1.0
Fs = 2.0

when Rs 0.6

Rs
0.6

when Rs < 0.6

441

(A.22a)
(A.22b)

and
Fe = basic shape factor determined as a function of the eccentricity factor Re [Rex
or Rey are given by Eqs. (A.16a) and (A.16b)]
Fe = 1.0
Fe = 1 +

when Re 0.15

0.5
(Re 0.15) when 0.15 < Re < 0.3
0.15
Fe = 1.5
when R e 0.3

(A.23a)
(A.23b)
(A.23c)

The shape factor Fes is 1.0 for values of rigidity factor and eccentricity factor
permitted in case of buildings up to 31 m in height for which there is an exemption
for checking the ultimate lateral load carrying capacity. When irregularity exceeds
these limits, the shape factor necessitates the provision of higher ultimate lateral
load carrying capacity, or in cases that the ultimate lateral load carrying capacity
cannot be increased, lower structural characteristics factor Ds must be used.
Equations (A.22a), (A.22b), (A.23a) and (A.23b) show that the value of the shape
factor is limited to 2.0 and l.5, respectively. However, this should be interpreted that
such an extraordinarily irregular structure cannot be handled by the shape factor
concept. Any building with a story having a rigidity factor Rs less than 0.6, or eccentricity factor Re greater than 0.3, should be redesigned for a better balance of mass
and stiffness.

A.6 Buildings for Which the Second Phase Design Is Not

Required
A.6.1

Specification of the MLIT

Box (l) in Fig. A.2 refers to buildings most popular in Japan. With ample experience
in earthquakes, they are judged to be safe without being subjected to the second
phase design for earthquakes.
Besides timber construction, they include the following, according to the
specification of the MLIT [4, 5].
1. Masonry buildings with not more than three stories, excluding the basement.
2. Reinforced concrete block masonry buildings with not more than three stories,
excluding the basement.

442

M. Teshigawara

3. Steel buildings conforming to (a)(f), or (g)(l) below:

(a) Not more than three stories, excluding the basement.
(b) Not more than 13 m in height, and not more than 9 m at eaves height.
(c) Horizontal distance between major vertical structural supports is not more
than 6 m.
(d) Total floor area is not more than 500 m2.
(e) Design seismic shear force in the first phase design is calculated with the
standard shear coefficient taken not less than 0.3.
(f) End connections and joints of braces carrying components of horizontal
earthquake forces must not fracture when the bracing member yields.
(g) Not more than two stories, excluding the basement.
(h) Not more than 13 m in height, and not more than 9 m at eaves height.
(i) Horizontal distance between major vertical structural supports is not more
than 12 m.
(j) Total floor area is not more than 500, or 3000 m2 in case of flat.
(k) Design seismic shear force in the first phase design is calculated with the
standard shear coefficient taken not less than 0.3.
(l) End connections and joints of braces carrying components of horizontal
earthquake forces must not fracture when the bracing member yields.
4. Reinforced concrete buildings, steel reinforced concrete buildings, or buildings
consisting in part of reinforced concrete and in part of steel reinforced concrete,
conforming to the requirements (a) and (b) below:
(a) Not more than 20 m in height.
(b) Horizontal area of shear walls and columns in each story above ground shall
satisfy the following equations.
For RC 2.5a Aw + 0.7a Ac Z W Ai

(A.24a)

For RC 2.5a Aw + 1.0a Ac Z W Ai

(A.24b)

where, Aw, Ac, Z, W, Ai, a are as defined for Eqs. (A.18a) and (A.18b).
5. Buildings consisting of the mixture of two or more of the following constructions: timber, masonry, reinforced concrete block masonry and steel structures,
or buildings consisting of any one or more of these above construction types and
reinforced concrete or steel reinforced concrete construction, conforming to
requirements (a)(d) below:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)

Not more than three stories, excluding the basement.

Not more than 13 m in height, and not more than 9 m at eaves height.
Total floor area is not more than 500 m2.
The story consisting of steel construction must conform to requirements (c),
(e) and (f) of item 3 above.
(e) The story consisting of reinforced concrete or steel reinforced concrete construction must conform to requirement (b) of item 4 above.

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

2.5

2.5Aw +1.8Ao 0.7W

2.5Aw +1.8Ao W
1.8Aw +1.8AoW0.01Af

(Mpa)

2.0

443

Ac +Aw

0.01 x Af

1.5

1.0
0.7
0.5

Failure rank II and above

Failure rank I and below
No damage

0
0.5

Aw

Af

1.0

1.5

(%)

Fig. A.9 Wall area index and average shear stress in walls and columns [6]

6. Industrial (prefabricated) houses approved by the MLIT.

7. Other construction approved by the MLIT as having equivalent or higher safety
against earthquakes as the items listed above.

A.6.2

Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Among the structural types listed in Sect. A.6.l, Item 4, defining reinforced concrete
buildings that need not be subjected to the second phase design for earthquakes, is
the most interesting and important from a technical point of view. The right hand
side of Eqs. (A.24a) and (A.24b) may be regarded as the story shear due to 1.0 g
response, or standard shear coefficient Co = 1.0 and vibration characteristics factor
Rt = 1.0. This would be the case for buildings whose height is not more than 20 m.
Hence Eqs. (A.24a) and (A.24b) may be interpreted as a requirement that the lateral
load carrying capacity, based on an average shear stress of 2.5 MPa for shear walls
and 0.7 MPa for columns (1.0 MPa in case of SRC), should exceed the 1.0 g response
story shear.
The meaning of Eqs. (A.24a) and (A.24b) may be explained with the aid of a
wall area index vs average shear stress plot originated by Shiga [6]. Figure A.9
shows such a plot, also compiled by Shiga, with respect to damage observed in the
1978 Miyagi-ken Oki earthquake [2].

444

M. Teshigawara

The horizontal axis in Fig. A.9 is the so-called wall area index, which is the ratio
of the total wall area, Aw in each direction with respect to the total floor area, SAf of
the building. In the original literature this quantity is expressed in cm2/m2 units, but
here the percentage of the ratio is used instead. The vertical axis of Fig. A.9 records
the average shear stress assuming 1.0 g response, where W is weight in N, and SAw
and SAc were defined above. A nominal building weight of 10 kPa per floor was
assumed in calculating the ordinates. This nominal building weight is a reasonable
average of the actual weight of Japanese reinforced concrete buildings.
Equation (A.24a), with a seismic zone factor Z = 1.0, a vertical distribution factor
Ai = l.0 (first story), and modification factor of concrete strength a = 1.0, is plotted on
Fig. A.9 by a solid curve, marked

2.5 A + 0.7 A
w

=W

(A.25)

Equation (A.24a) thus specifies the area to the lower-right of the curve, and this
corresponds roughly to the safe domain. Buildings that lie in this domain suffer
slight (failure rank I) or no damage, while those which lie in the area of upper-left
of the curve are subject to slight or no damage or to severe damage or they may even
collapse. Thus the specification may be interpreted as an exemption from the second
phase design for buildings which experienced strong shaking of 1968 and 1978
earthquakes, with recorded maximum accelerations of 0.250.3 g, with minor or no
damage.

A.6.3

Specified Minimum Requirements

It was explained earlier that there was a set of minimum requirements specified by
the MLIT, which must be met by any building that follows the flow along boxes
(6)(8) in Fig. A.2, instead of the flow along boxes (6) and (9). These are the
minimum requirements for buildings to be designed without check for ultimate lateral load carrying capacity in the second phase design for earthquakes. For reinforced concrete buildings the rules consist of satisfying one of three conditions. The
first two of these are essentially strength requirements and the last one is a ductility
requirement.
The first of these three rules is to satisfy Eqs. (A.18a) and (A.18b). Comparing
this with Eqs. (A.24a) and (A.24b), it can be seen that they are identical except for
the right hand side of Eqs. (A.18a) and (A.18b), which is factored by 0.75. It is
anticipated that some ductility is available in these buildings as indicated by this
reduction of strength.
For the condition of Z = 1.0, Ai = l.0, and a = 1.0, Eq. (A.18a) for reinforced concrete is shown in Fig. A.9 by a dashed curve

2.5 A + 0.7 A
w

= 0.75W

(A.26)

Appendix A

Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the Japanese Building Codes

445

The minimum requirement of Eq. (A.18a) implies that buildings which lie
between the two curves in Fig. A.9 will be designed without check for ultimate
lateral load carrying capacity. However, these structures must be checked for regularity and a minimum level of ductility. As seen there were several damaged buildings in this domain in the case of the 1978 earthquake. It is expected that response
behavior will be improved by the regularity requirements expressed by the rigidity
factor and the eccentricity factor limitation. In addition, these buildings should be
designed to possess some ductility.
The second of the three conditions is to satisfy Eqs. (A.19a) and (A.19b). The
meaning of this equation may be explained as follows [3].
Reinforced concrete buildings with reasonable regularity and with several shear
walls with large openings or with columns with wing walls should be safe, provided
that a certain level of ductility is maintained. Assuming that an average shear stress
of 1.35 MPa is expected in columns and wing walls at the development of certain
ductility, we may write

1.35 A + 1.35 A
w

0.75Z W Ai

(A.27)

from which the first expression in Eq. (A.19a) is derived. Equation (A.19b) for
steel reinforced concrete is a modified form based on the engineering judgment.
For the condition of Z = 1.0, Ai = 1.0, and a = 1.0, Eq. (A.19a) for reinforced concrete is also shown in Fig. A.9 by a horizontal dashed line:

1.8 A + 1.8 A
w

=W

(A.28)

In the domain below this line, an even greater number of damaged buildings can
be identified. Besides the improvement by the adoption of regular structural layout,
care must be taken to ensure the availability of some ductility in the first phase
design for earthquakes.
Acknowledgements The author thanks Emeritus Professor of Tokyo Univ. H. Aoyama with great
appreciation, who allows for author to add several amendments in the building code of Japan after
2000 on his paper [1].

References
1. Aoyama H (1981) Outline of Earthquake Provisions in the recently revised Japanese Building
Codes. Bull New Zeal Natl Soc Earthquake Eng 14(2):6380
2. Nakano K, Ishiyama Y, Ohashi Y (1980) A proposal of a new aseismic design method for
buildings in Japan. In: 7th WCEE Proceedings, vol 4, Istanbul, September 1980, pp 4148
3. Umemura H (ed) (1979) New earthquake resistant design. Building Center of Japan, 344 pp,
May 1979 (in Japanese)
4. MLIT (2007) Commentary on the Structural Calculation based on the Enforcement Order,
Building Standard Law, supervised by Housing Bureau and National Institute of Land
Infrastructure Management in Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, and
Japan Conference of Building Administration, 173 pp (in Japanese)

446

M. Teshigawara

5. MLIT (1980) Kampo (Official Notice, Government of Japan), No. 16043, 14 July 1980 (in
Japanese)
6. Architectural Institute of Japan (1990) Lateral Loading Capacity of Seismic design of
Buildings, Oct 1990 (in Japanese)

Appendix B

Design of Buildings for Tsunami Loads

Yoshiaki Nakano

Abstract The outline of the current guidelines for tsunami load in Japan is introduced. They are mainly based on the guidelines issued by the Japanese Cabinet
Office in 2005, with some additions after the 2011 disaster. They feature a simple
procedure to calculate loads imposed by tsunami under the assumption that the
proper design inundation height of tsunami will be provided. In this appendix the
guidelines named as Interim Guidelines on the Structural Design of Tsunami
Evacuation Building: a revision based on the lesson of the building damage by 2011
East Japan Tsunami Disaster is introduced.

B.1

Introduction

For the structural design of tsunami evacuation buildings, the Japanese Cabinet
Office issued in June 2005, Guidelines for evacuation of buildings affected by
tsunami [1]. The guidelines was created by adopting the design method for tsunami load equations by the Building Center of Japan [2, 3] published in 2004.
However, very few buildings have been designed based on these guidelines since
then.
After the 2011 East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster, a joint team of the
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, and the Building Research
Institute extensively inspected the tsunami damaged buildings and have published a
result of an inventory analysis of the damaged buildings [4] to scrutinize the former
guidelines and has proposed some revisions. Housing Bureau and National Institute

Y. Nakano (*)
Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
e-mail: [email protected]
Architectural Institute of Japan (ed.), Preliminary Reconnaissance Report of the 2011
Tohoku-Chiho Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake, Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake
Engineering 23, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54097-7, Springer Japan 2012

447

448

Y. Nakano

for Land and Infrastructure Management, MLIT adopted the proposal and issued
interim guidelines based on the former guidelines by the Cabinet Office.
The relatively simple procedure to calculate loads imposed by tsunami is not
changed but some design coefficients and additional cautions are added. This is currently the only standard for the design of tsunami evacuation buildings in Japan.
In the following sections, the guidelines named as Interim Guidelines on the
Structural Design of Tsunami Evacuation Building: a revision based on the lesson
of the building damage by 2011 East Japan Tsunami Disaster is introduced.

B.2

Scope and Application

Scope
This design guideline is applicable to the structural design of tsunami evacuation
buildings and others to resist loads imposed by tsunami. In applications, the tsunami
inundation depth for the design should be referred to the expected inundation depth
shown in hazard maps designated by municipalities. However, the design inundation
condition (area and inundation depth) can be specified in a particular area by a master plan of tsunami disaster mitigation made exclusively to a special local district.

Application to New buildings

If these provisions are to be applied to new buildings, they shall conform to the
provisions shown here as well as to the Building Standard Laws, related laws and
relevant enforcement orders.

Application to Existing Buildings

If these provisions are applied to existing buildings, and they do not conformed to
the current Building Standard Laws, they shall conform to the enforcement orders
No. 185, pursuant to No. 1, Paragraph 3 of Article 8 of the act on Promotion of
Seismic Retrofitting of Buildings No. 123 or the Article 20 of the Building Standard
Law as of June 1st, 1981 (see Appendix A).

Appendix B Design of Buildings for Tsunami Loads

B.3

449

List of Terms

Terms used in the design guidelines are defined as follows:

Design inundation depth: inundation depth of the tsunami or distance from inundation height to the ground level of a building site in meter.
Tsunami force: lateral force generated by tsunami acting on the building in kN.
Tsunami wave pressure: lateral pressure acting on the exposed surface of the building generated by tsunami in kN/m2.
Tsunami wave force: lateral force acting on the building generated by tsunami in kN.
Buoyancy: upward force acting on the building generated by tsunami in kN.
Pressure-exposed surface: building surface directly subjected to the tsunami.
Pressure resistant components: building components that resist the tsunami direct
pressure.
Non-pressure resistant components: building components that can potentially fail
due to the tsunami direct pressure.
Structural system: entire structure that is able to transfer the tsunami force coming
from the pressure-exposed surfaces to foundation.

B.4

Structural Design

In tsunami resisting building design, structural components should be classified as

ones that are directly exposed to the tsunami pressure and ones that are not.

B.5

Calculation of Loads Imposed by Tsunami

Tsunami Wave Force Equation

Tsunami wave pressure qz at height z is given by:
qz = rg (ah z )

(B.1)

where,
qz: intensity of tsunami pressure at height z in kN/m2,
r: density of water in t/m3,
g: gravity acceleration in m/s2,
h: design inundation depth in m,
z: location of acting pressure measured from the ground (0 z ah) in meter,
a: depth factor (=3.0). The value of a can be reduced if the building is located in
the following condition (Fig. B.1).

450

(1)
(2)

Y. Nakano
Condition

Value of a

The tsunami stream to the building is effectively blocked by other

buildings and/or structures
In addition to the condition (1), the distance of the building to the coast
(sea, river) is larger than 500 m

2.0
1.5

Equation (B.1)

design inundation depth

ah

building

argh

Fig. B.1 Tsunami wave pressure given by Eq. (B.1)

Equation (B.2)

z1

design inundation depth

z2

ah

building

argh

Fig. B.2 Tsunami wave force given by Eq. (B.2)

Calculation of Tsunami Wave Force

Tsunami wave force should be calculated by the following equation:
z2

Qz = rg (ah z ) Bdz
z1

(B.2)

where,
Qz: tsunami wave force for structural design in kN,
B: width of pressure-exposed surface in m,
z1: minimum height of pressure-exposed surface (0 z1 z2) in m, and
z2: maximum height of pressure-exposed surface (z1 z2 ah) in m (Fig. B.2).

Appendix B Design of Buildings for Tsunami Loads

451

Lateral Load Reduction due to Openings

The area of openings (including the surface area of non-pressure resistant components designed to fail due to tsunami wave pressure) can be excluded from the area
to calculate the tsunami wave force.

Piloti Structures (Structures with First Floor

Supported Only by Columns)
The tsunami wave pressure on the part beneath a building supported by piloti (except
on the pressure resistant components, such as columns and beams) can be neglected
from the calculation of design tsunami wave pressure.

Direction of Lateral Load

Lateral force of tsunami is assumed to act on the structure in all horizontal directions.
If the direction of tsunami is clearly given by the shape of the coastline and the
predicted inundation depth, this assumption does not have to be applied. Also,
depending on the particular case, water backrush can be considered.

Calculation of Buoyancy
Buoyancy caused by the tsunami is calculated using the following formula:
Qz = rgV
where, Qz: buoyant force in kN, V: volume of the inundated part of the building in
cubic meters.
The volume of the building can be reduced considering the inflow of water
through the openings depending on the height of the openings and tsunami inundation depth.

Exception Based on Special Researches

The tsunami wave pressure obtained after special researches and investigations considering the condition of the location of the tsunami evacuation building can be used
if it is more rational than those specified in this guideline.

452

B.6

Y. Nakano

Load Combinations

Following load combinations should be considered in tsunami resisting design of

building structures.
G + P + 0.35S + T (Regions with heavy snow )

(B.3)

G + P + T (Outside of regions with heavy snow )

(B.4)

where, G: dead loads, P: live loads, S: snow load and T: force generated by tsunami.
The regions with heavy snow can be designated by municipalities in their jurisdiction
as stated in the relevant articles in the Building Standard Law Enforcement Orders.

B.7

Design of Pressure-Exposed Surfaces

Design of Pressure Resistant Components

Ultimate strength and deformation capacity of supporting components should be
sufficient to resist ultimate loads. Also, waterproof characteristics should be considered.

Design of Non-pressure Resistant Components

These members are allowed to fail if its failure does not cause damage to any structural member.

B.8

Design of Structural Members

Ultimate lateral strength of structural system in every horizontal direction at each

story should be greater than lateral loads imposed by tsunami [Eq. (B.5)]
Qui Qi

(B.5)

where,
Qui: lateral strength of i-th floor, and
Qi: lateral load caused by tsunami acting on the i-th floor.
Ultimate lateral strength should be calculated with respect to most critical load
combination.

Appendix B Design of Buildings for Tsunami Loads

B.9

453

Design Against Sliding and Overturning

Structures including foundation members such as piles should be designed to be

stable for overturning and to resist sliding due to tsunami wave pressure by considering the effects of gravity and buoyancy.

B.10

Miscellaneous

Local Scouring
Design of foundation shall consider tilting of buildings due to the soil washed away
beneath the foundation by tsunami flow, in particular when no pile foundation is
used.

Collision of Floating Debris

Impact load due to collision of floating debris shall be considered. Critical structural
members shall be prevented from failure, or stability of the structural system shall
be secured after failure of some structural members.

References
1. JCO/Task Committee under the Japanese Cabinet Office (2005) Design guidelines for tsunami
shelters. http://www.bousai.go.jp/oshirase/h17/050610/tsunami_siryo2.pdf (in Japanese)
2. Okada T, Sugano T, Ishikawa T, Ogi T, Takai S, Hamabe T (2004) Structural design method of
building to seismic sea wave, No. 1 preparatory examination, Building Letter. The Building
Center of Japan, pp 713. October 2004 (in Japanese)
3. Okada T, Sugano T, Ishikawa T, Ogi T, Takai S, Hamabe T (2004) Structural design method of
building to seismic sea wave, No. 2 design method (a draft), Building Letter. The Building
Center of Japan, pp 18. November 2004 (in Japanese)
4. Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo (2011) Investigation on Building Code
Development in Tsunami Hazardous Areas, granted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism, Interim Report (July 2011) and Interim Report 2 (November 2011),
Principal Investigator: Y Nakano, Professor of IIS, The University of Tokyo (in Japanese).
http://www.nilim.go.jp/japanese/organization/kenchiku/iinkai/20110818pdf/siryou1.pdf;
http://www.mlit.go.jp/report/press/house05_hh_000274.html

Author Index

B
Baoyintu, Baoyintu, Chap. 2

D
Doi, Mareyasu, Chap. 5

E
Eguchi, Toru, Chap. 9

F
Fujinaga, Takashi, Chap. 5

H
Hanazato, Toshikazu, Chap. 7
Hiraishi, Hisahiro, Chap. 11

I
Ichinose, Toshikatsu, Chap. 4
Iizuka, Masayoshi, Chap. 6
Inai, Eiichi, Chap. 6
Inoue, Yoshio, Chap. 6
Isoda, Hiroshi, Chap. 3
Izumi, Nobuyuki, Chap. 4

K
Kabeyasawa, Toshikazu, Chap. 4
Kabeyasawa, Toshimi, Chap. 4
Kato, Daisuke, Chap. 4
Katsumata, Kota, Chap. 10
Kawai, Naohito, Chap. 3

Kawakami, Katsuya, Chap. 7

Kawano, Akihiko, Chap. 5
Kawase, Hiroshi, Chap. 2
Kikuchi, Kenji, Chap. 7
Kitayama, Kazuhiro, Chap. 4
Koga, Kazuya, Chap. 7
Koshihara, Mikio, Chap. 1
Kumagai, Ryohei, Chap. 9
Kuramoto, Hiroshi, Chap. 5
Kuroki, Masayuki, Chap. 7
Kusunoki, Koichi, Chap. 4

M
Maeda, Masaki, Chap. 4
Matsushima, Shinchi, Chap. 2
Midorikawa, Mitsumasa, Chap. 8
Mita, Noriyuki, Chap. 7
Motosaka, Masato, Chap. 2

N
Nakano, Yoshiaki, Chap. 4, Appendix B
Natori, Akira, Chap. 9
Nishiyama, Isao, Chap. 8

O
Ogawa, Junji, Chaps. 1, 2
Ohno, Susumu, Chap. 2

S
Sakai, Junichi, Chap. 5
Sasaki, Takahiro, Chap. 6
Seike, Tsuyoshi, Chap. 9

Architectural Institute of Japan (ed.), Preliminary Reconnaissance Report of the 2011

Tohoku-Chiho Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake, Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake
Engineering 23, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54097-7, Springer Japan 2012

455

456
Shiohara, Hitoshi, Chap. 4
Suzuki, Hiroko, Chap. 10

T
Tada, Motohide, Chap. 8
Take, Yukihiro, Chaps. 1, 2
Tamura, Shuji, Chap. 10
Tanaka, Hitoshi, Chap. 2
Tanaka, Reiji, Chaps. 1, 2
Tanaka, Teruhisa, Chap. 5
Tani, Masanori, Chap. 4
Tasai, Akira, Chap. 4
Terada, Takehiko, Chap. 8

Author Index
Teshigawara, Masaomi,
Appendix A
Tokimatsu, Kohji, Chap. 10
Tokita, Shinji, Chap. 6
Tsuchimoto, Takahiro, Chap. 3

W
Watanabe, Hidekazu, Chap. 2
Watanabe, Kazuhiro, Chap. 4

Y
Yamaya, Ryota, Chaps. 1, 2

Subject Index

A
Aerial photos, 90
Amplification, 80
Amplification of ground motion, 414
Anchor bolt, 144, 268, 271, 274, 275, 277,
278, 295, 301, 302, 316, 323, 341
Aobayama, 80, 81
Apartments, 116
Asperity, 43
Attenuation formula, 43, 44

B
Back projection analysis, 46
Barns, 116, 121
Base-isolated, 65
Beam-to-column connection, 268, 302, 303,
312, 313, 315, 323, 328
Brace/braced/bracing, 268272, 292295, 302,
304, 305, 316, 319, 321, 323, 328330,
336338, 340, 342, 351
Building Research Institute, 34
Building rotation, 226
Building standard law, 257
Buttress walls, 252

C
1960 Chile earthquake, 109
2010 Chile earthquake, 92
Chipped exterior wall coatings, 119
Chipped mortar, 117
Cladding, 268, 276, 281, 284290, 293,
306310, 319, 328, 334336,
341344, 349

Coastal disaster prevention, 94

Coastline, 410, 412, 416
Collapse of ceiling panels, 415, 417, 418
Column base, 214
Column base/base plate/base, 268, 271,
274278, 290, 293295, 299, 301306,
308, 312, 316, 318, 322, 326, 327, 329,
330, 336, 337, 345, 348, 351
Concrete box-shaped wall buildings, 197
Concrete crushed, 207
Concrete masonry buildings, 250
Concrete masonry
garden walls, 256
Concrete masonry nonbearing walls, 254
Corrosion on the reinforcing bars, 260
Corrosive pores, 143
Cost of damage, 7
Coupling beams, 212
Cracks, 252
Crustal movement, 33
Cultural affairs, 17

D
Damage caused by tsunami, 13
Damage statistics, 2
Damage to building equipment, 11
Dead or missing, 412
Decay, 117
Decorative concrete blocks, 257
Deflection angle, 76
Depth of alluvial soil, 386
Disaster Control Research Center of Tohoku
University (DCRC), 55, 59
Dowels, 263

Architectural Institute of Japan (ed.), Preliminary Reconnaissance Report of the 2011

Tohoku-Chiho Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake, Geotechnical, Geological and Earthquake
Engineering 23, DOI 10.1007/978-4-431-54097-7, Springer Japan 2012

457

458
E
Earthquake Research Institute, 35
Earthquake standards, 414
Effect of the breakwater, 101
Elevation of the ground level, 104
Empirical Greens function, 44
Environmental related damage, 13
Extensive liquefaction, 418

F
Fire, 17
Floodwater, 131
Footing, 258
Foreshock, 32
Foundation tilting or sinking, 414
Fukushima, 56
Furukawa, 82, 83

G
Geospatial Information Authority of Japan
(GSI), 34
Geotechnical consequences, 13
Glass, 117
Glulam framed structure, 136
GPS sea level recorders, 97
Gradual increase of the water level, 97
Grain size distribution, 393
2010 Great Chilean Tsunami, 98
Ground deformation, 115
Ground subsidence, 395, 415, 418, 419
Gusset plate, 269274
Gymna siums, 116

H
High stone foundation, 117
Historical structures, 419
Historic buildings, 10
Hollow concrete block, 250
Horizontal reinforcing bars, 256
Horizontal-to-vertical (H/V) spectral ratios, 49
Houses, 116
Housing estates, 220
1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu earth quake, 52
Hypocentral distance, 43

I
Infill walls, 254
Intersecting wall, 256
Inundation area, 90
Inundation depth, 100, 130

Subject Index
Inundation height, 99
Inundation maps, 90
Iwate Miyagi Nairiku earthquake, 76

J
Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), 55
Joint, 260
Junction, 131
869 Jyogan earthquake, 109
Jyogan Tsunami of 869, 92

K
1611 Keicho Sanriku earth quake, 109
KiK-net, 37, 55
K-NET, 37, 55
Kurihara, 37, 57

L
Laminated timber, 121
Landslide, 116, 404, 405
Lap splice joints, 264
Large openings, 117
Lateral soil movement, 396
Lateral strength, 145
Lifeline damage, 7
Lightweight steel frame, 143
Liquefaction, 58, 115, 386
Liquefaction assessment, 394
Low-rise timber buildings, 141

M
Masonry wall, 251
Maximum inundation heights, 99
Maximum run-up heights, 99
1896 Meiji Sanriku earthquake, 109
1896 Meiji Sanriku-Oki Tsunami earthquake, 54
Metal fence, 260
Microtremors, 49
Mid Niigata Prefecture earthquake, 58
Mid-sized ribbed thin concrete panel
structures, 220
Miyagi, 56
1978 Miyagi earthquake, 401, 404
Miyagi-ken Oki earthquake, 54, 72, 76, 79
Mud coatings, 121

N
NagamachiRifu fault., 60
Nailed joints, 144

Subject Index
National Research Institute for Earth Science
and Disaster Prevention (NIED), 36
Natural period, 76
Nonbearing masonry walls, 250
Nonbearing walls, 254
Non-structural elements, 9, 276277, 311,
316, 343
Non-structural members, 200
Non-structural walls, 202, 212
North American Plate, 30
N values, 393

O
2011 Off the Pacific Ocean of Tohoku
earthquake, 98
Ohsaki, 57
Oil facilities, 23
Old seismic code, 14
Oroshi-machi, 64

P
Pacific plate, 30
Peak ground acceleration (PGA), 37
Pile, 202
Pile foundation, 389, 401
Plain areas, 130
Post-earthquake damage evaluation, 220
Post earthquake inspection, 4
Precast pre-stressed RC shear wall buildings,
220, 234
Precast thin ribbed concrete panels, 237
Predominant frequency, 52
Public buildings, 116

R
Railroads, 25
Reclaimed land, 386
Reclamation age, 388
Reinforced concrete box-shaped wall
buildings, 220
Reinforced concrete framed
buildings, 250
Reinforced concrete foundation, 126
Reinforced fully grouted concrete
masonry, 250
Reinforced hollow concrete
masonry, 250
Reinforced masonry buildings, 250
Resonance, 116
Response spectra, 57
Retaining walls, 402

459
Retrofit, 159
River basins, 116
Roof tiles, 119
Run-up height, 99

S
Sakishima high-rise building, 51
Sandy soils, 116
School, 116
building, 157, 159, 161, 180
gymnasium, 123
Scour/scouring, 292, 294, 296, 297, 308, 310,
319, 348, 350
Sea level changes, 94
Seawall, 104
Segment, 32
Seismic intensity, 56, 221
Seismic retrofit, 81, 263
Seismic waves, 409
Seismogenic zones, 32
Sendai, 57
Sendai city, 199
Settlement, 181, 182
Sewage treatment facilities, 20
Sharp rise of water level, 97
Shear failures, 202, 212, 214, 224
1933 Showa Sanriku earthquakes, 109
Shrines, 116, 124
Site amplification, 116
Site amplification factors, 48
Sloping lands, 141
Small Titan, 59
SMGA. See Strong motion generation area
(SMGA)
Soft soil, 117
Soil deformation, 14
Soil stabilization, 389
Source process, 35
Splitting bond cracks, 212
Spread foundation, 389
Steel reinforced concrete
buildings, 197
Stone masonry garden walls, 263
Storage buildings, 121
Storehouse, 118
Stores, 116
Strong motion, 386
Strong motion generation area (
SMGA), 43
Structural control, 65
Structural fasteners, 131
Structural members, 200
Structural specifications, 132

460
T
Taro-Cho in Miyako City, 101
Teleseismic data, 35
Temple, 124
Termite damage, 117
Tie-down fastener, 143
Time history analysis, 128
Time history of water level, 97
Titan, 56
1952 Tokachi-Oki Earthquake, 44, 109
Top horizontal bars, 259
Topographic effect, 48
Total seismic moments, 46
Transfer function, 51
Tsukidate, 37, 51, 82, 83
Tsunami, 130
damage, 101
generation, 89
height, 95, 99

Subject Index
run up, 91
source, 89
surges, 412, 419
time histories, 95
wave pressure, 145
waves, 89

V
Vertical reinforcement, 256
Vertical reinforcing bars, 256257

W
Warehouses, 116
Water facilities, 18
Wave form, 98
Waves came, 409
Wood buildings, 414