Outline of the project

Fund resource
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology

Program
Sustenance of International Leadership of Japan
Sustenance of International Leadership in the field of Science and Technology of Japan

Research Title
Restoration Program from Giant Earthquakes and Tsunamis

Principal Investigator
Teruyuki Kato
Professor
Earthquake Research Institute, the University of Tokyo
1-1, Yayoi-1, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
Phone: +81-3-5841-5730       Fax: +81-3-5802-8644
E-mail: teru@eri.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Objective

The objective of this project is to propose a restoration program from giant earthquakes and tsunamis such as the earthquake in the Indian Ocean that occurred on December 26, 2004. We tackle this problem from four distinct sub-theme;
1) Clarification of mechanism of the giant earthquake and tsunami and its prediction.
2) Research on developing human resource for enforcing the human power against the natural disaster.
3) Research on effective use of tsunami warning system and mitigation of tsunami hazard.
4) Restoration program and city planning from the disasters due to giant earthquakes and tsunamis.
Each sub-theme includes 3-5 research subjects. The program strongly encourages synergetic efforts among international community of related scientists through international workshop/symposium as well as related field research. The tem of the project is three years; April 2005 March 2008 and JPY50m (USD455k)/yr is provided from the Japanese government for this project.

Research titles and particiating researchers

Sub-group 1: Research on the mechanism of giant earthquake and tsunami and its prediction (Leader: Dr. Kenji Satake of AIST)

Theme 1: Research on historical earthquake and tsunami around the Indian Ocean and their prediction (Dr. Kenji Satake of AIST)
Theme 2: Mechanism of post-seismic deformation of the Sumatra Earthquake based on GPS (Prof. Teruyuki Kato of ERI, Univ. Tokyo, Prof. Fumio Kimata of Nagoya Univ., Prof. Takao Tabei of Kochi Univ., and Prof. Mikio Satomura of Shizuoka Univ.)
Theme 3: Rupture process of the Sumatra Earthquake based on dilatometer observations (Dr. Hidemi Ito and Dr. Yasuhiro Yoshida)
Theme 4: Analysis of seismicity and evaluation of state of stress before and after the Sumatra Earthquake (Dr. Masajiro Imoto of NIED)
Theme 5: Systematic collection of tsunami record at tide gauge stations around the Indian Ocean (Dr. Sin-Iti Iwasaki of NIED)

Sub-group 2: Human resource program for education and outreach (Leader: Professor Koshun Yamaoka of ERI, Univ. Tokyo)

Theme 1: Analysis of social and cultural factors in earthquake and tsunami disaster and education (Prof. Hirotsune Kimura, Prof. Atsuko Ohashi and Prof. Hisae Nakanishi of Nagoya Univ.)
Theme 2:Consideration and promotion of apppropriate awareness raising initiatives on disaster reduction through self-help, mutual help and public help in line with the condition of each Asian country (Dr. Tetsushi Kurita of ADRC)
Theme 3:Construction of education program for disaster prevention for the international students in Japan (Prof. Koshun Yamaoka of ERI, Univ. Tokyo)

Sub-group 3: Research on effecitve use of tsunami warning system and mitigation (Leader: Professor Fumihiko Imamura of Tohoku Univ.)

Theme 1: Recognition of information on tsunami warning and evacuation activity (Prof. Fumihiko Imamura of Tohoku Univ.)
Theme 2: Establishment of appropriate criteria for tsunami warning (Dr. Shinya Tsukara)
Theme 3: Investigation of tsunami warning system considering the mechanism of tsunami generation and propagation (Dr. Kenji Hirata of JAMSTEC)
Theme 4: Development of high precision tsunami monitoring system and warning system (Dr. Toshihiko Nagai of PARI)
Theme 5: Manual for disaster mitigation plan and countermeasure utilising tsunami warning system / platform of sharing disaster information (Dr. Yozo Goto of Kawasaki Lab., NIED)

Sub-group 4: Restoration program and city planning after the giant earthquake and tsunami (Leader: Professor Hirokazu Iemura of Kyoto Univ.)

Theme 1: Study and proposal for the disater-proof city rennovation and restoration plan of cities with consideration of local varieties (Prof. Osamu Murao of Univ. of Tsukuba)
Theme 2: Case studies of urban building construction technologies of earthquake and tsunami-proof (Prof. Hirokazu Iemura of Kyoto Univ.)
Theme 3: Case studies of infrastructures such as water, sanitation and medical treatment that are earthquake and tsunami-proof (Prof. Shiro Takada of Kobe Univ.)