Japan takes earthquake safety seriously. Here's how its culture of preparedness keeps so many people alive.

• Japan is still coping with the aftermath of a powerful earthquake earlier this month.
• With its history of natural disasters, Japan is one of the countries best prepared for emergencies.
• A sophisticated alert system, strict building codes, and a prepared population all help.

Japan's Noto Peninsula is reeling from its most powerful earthquake in a century, but the death toll is remarkably low.

The 7.6 magnitude earthquake struck the peninsula in central Japan on January 1, violently rattling buildings, triggering landslides, starting fires, and even forcing land upward to create new beaches on the coast.