"Over the years, Japan has spent billions of dollars developing the most advanced technology against earthquakes and tsunamis. The Japanese, who regularly experience smaller earthquakes and have lived through major ones, know how to react to quakes and tsunamis because of regular drills — unlike Southeast Asians, many of whom died in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami because they lingered near the coast...."

article: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/world/asia/12codes.html?_r=3&hp

Japan is filled with so many smart people.
I'm happy the world is learning from the Indian Ocean tsunami, that was a horrible story to hear around a little kid school.