2. History
Earthquake
Research Institute was established on November 13th, 1925, as a part
of Tokyo Imperial University.
The decade and a half since the establishment of ERI was a period that
witnessed the rise of modern seismology in Japan. After
World War II, the institute was re-established as one of the research institutes
of the University of Tokyo.
Following the nation wide cooperative Earthquake Prediction Program started in
1965 and Volcanic Eruption Prediction Program in 1974, ERI played a core role
in bearing the heaviest responsibility for their implementation, as well as
serving as the central institute for fundamental geophysical researches in Japan.
In
the last few decades, various cooperative studies, such as seismic observations
in several inland areas, seismic and geophysical observations in the ocean, application
of Global Positioning System (GPS), seismic observations by a network covering
the whole of the western Pacific under the Poseidon Plan, and experiments on
volcanic structure and magma supply system, have been planned and conducted as
joint researches of universities and institutes in Japan. To further promote
these projects, ERI was re-organized in 1994 as a shared institute of the
University.
The
re-organization of ERI formed four divisions and centers, provided positions
for visiting professors, and formulated a system of cooperative studies.
In
April 1997, Ocean Hemisphere Research Center
was established to develop and operate a global multidisciplinary network in
the Pacific hemisphere consisting of seismic, geoelectromagnetic,
and geodetic observations.