After the 1995 Kobe earthquake, Japan changed how it engineers bridges. Instead of trying to prevent collapse, engineers now design how bridges will break. The approach: minimize catastrophic damage when failure happens. The Kumamoto earthquake hit with a 6+ magnitude and the Yatsushiro interchange on the Kyushu Expressway separated at a joint but didn't drop. The 'fall-prevention device' installed after Kobe's lessons held the structure up. It's not about unbreakable. It's about controlled failure that keeps people alive.