We first briefly review the Japanese seismic building code, and show that the current code does not include explicitly counter measures against active faults. In addition, it does not include the information about the active faults and the near-fault strong ground motions in its hazard map and response spectra. Next, we explain the near-fault strong ground motions, such as the directivity pulses and the fling step. We also show various examples of building damage caused by the 1995 Kobe earthquake and the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, earthquakes. The directivity pulses overturned a lot of old wooden houses in the direction normal to the active faults during the Kobe earthquake, whereas the fling step and ground failure due to the surface faulting tilted many buildings on the fault during the Chi-Chi earthquake. Finally, we discuss about various technologies to cope with those the near-fault strong ground motions and the ground failure, and emphasize the importance of the collaborations among geologists, seismologists, and engineers for mitigation of building damage.