![Infrastructure damaged by the New Year’s Day earthquake in the city of Wajima in the Ishikawa prefecture on January 4.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/HJCYH7R7BFCXFERQ35IXWXTOE4.jpg?auth=d448ae7b50829a197b1ad103a51cc86d4df32ab481b192b95984f6047bf9f5b7&width=414&height=233&focal=2719%2C1856)
A disciplined population and state-of-the-art technology help Japan cope with both earthquake and plane crash
Two traumatic events mark Japan’s start to the year, but the preparation to deal with such catastrophes has meant significant damage limitation