Few Deaths in Tohoku Quake
The death toll for the recent earthquake has risen to 9 people. Moreover, the amount of buildings destroyed total 12. This is in stark contrast to the Great Hanshin earthquake that occured in 1995. Both of these quakes measures 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale, however in Hanshin 6,434 people lost their lives (mostly in Kobe) on top of 200 billion dollars in property damage.
Experts believe the region's sturdy buildings prevented collapses during the shaking. This is because most buildings in the area adhere to the Building Standards Law that calls for structures to withstand earthquakes of the upper 6 point range. The local architecture is also robust as a means to deal with the heavy snowfall that occurs every winter in the northern Japan.
Other reasons for the low death toll include the time of the disaster. It was at 8:43 in the morning when most people were at home. This quake also had a low seismic wave frequency (1.0) which is less destructive than the higher frequency of 1.5 sec.
Misc:
During and after earthquakes that occur in cities, most people die from building collapses and the resultant gas leaks and fires.
Japan has the strictest earthquake building regulations in the world due to the high frequency of seismic activity throughout the entire country.
The Tohoku Earthquake was much smaller and less devastating than the recent Sichuan Earthquake in China. By comparison that quake measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale.
Additional Info:
Building damage surprisingly low : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)