Lifeline Earthquake Engineering in Japan

General philosophies behind the current earthquake-resistant considerations for lifeline systems in Japan are reviewed. Relevant Japanese specifications are listed with some comments. Soil problems are considered in relationship to the earthquake resistance of lifeline systems, including liquefaction, embankment failures, and damage to buried pipelines. Some of the technical lessons obtained from past Japanese earthquakes are described for buried pipelines and bridges, and several aspects of the current Japanese practices to meet these problems are analyzed. Need for future research in the field of lifeline earthquake engineering is summarized.