The workshop was held in Tokyo immediately
 prior to 9th World Conference on Earthquake 
Engineering. Two previous workshops have
been held in 1984 and 1986 both with an 
emphasis on seismic building design and 
construction practices. New Zealand and
 China were invited to participate in the
 3rd Workshop which was attended by 17 U.S. 
and 23 Japanese representatives. I was
 privileged to attend the third workshop 
which was organised by the Japan Structural
 Consultants Association. 21 papers were
 presented covering building seismic analysis and design, and comparison of design codes and practices. The conference concluded with a working session which allowed a useful exchange of information. In the notes below I have summarized several items of particular interest to New Zealand practitioners.