Residential and other buildings in Japan need to be earthquake-resistant and-fire proof. In 1981, the stringent New Anti-Seismic Design Standard was enforced for new construction, and proved to be highly effective. However, the Great Hanshin or Kobe Earthquake of 1995 exposed construction flaws and prompted revisions, but in fact only 3% of the buildings which collapsed were post-1981. Japan has spent the last three decades developing and installing retrofit solutions to make older structures safer, for example by fitting internal or external bracing (as above). The earthquake-resistance of a residence is, unsurprisingly, an important selling point.