This paper briefly reviews the development of earthquake resistant design of buildings. Measurement of ground acceleration started in the 1930s, and response calculation was made possible in the 1940s. Design response spectra were formulated in the late 1950s to 1960s. Non-linear response was introduced in seismic design in the 1960s and the capacity design concept was generally introduced in the 1970s for collapse safety. The damage statistics of reinforced concrete buildings in the 1995 Kobe disaster demonstrated the improvement of building performance with the development of design methodology. Buildings designed and constructed using out-dated methodology should be upgraded. Performance-based engineering should be emphasized, especially for the protection of building functions following frequent earthquakes.