“The Second Earthquake and Volcano Hazards Observation and Research Program” is one of the national scientific research programs that are authorized by the Council for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. We started this five-year scientific program in 2019 in cooperation with national universities and institutes to understand the mechanism of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions and to contribute to the mitigation of related disasters. In response to the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake of magnitude 9, the first program emphasized the studies on massive earthquakes and major-scale eruptions that occurred prior to the history of modern observation. This was done with the help of historical science and geology and advanced the earthquake and volcanic eruption studies as a part of disaster science in collaboration with disaster-related engineering fields and human and social sciences. The second program adds research for developing disaster literacy to understand the most effective body of knowledge that helps mitigate disasters related to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
The Coordinating Committee of Earthquake and Volcanic Eruption Prediction Researches (CCEVPR) was established to collaborate on promoting the scientific program. Member of CCEVPR consists of the heads of research institutes of national universities and the representatives of universities and institutes concerning seismology and volcanology in Japan. In 2010, ERI was re-organized as the Joint Usage/Research Center for earthquake and volcano researches, and CCEVPR was required to play a more important role for collaborating closely with nationwide researchers. CCEVPR includes the Planning Committee, Program Promotion Panels and Financial Committee to promote the researches that are carried out in cooperation among universities under the national scientific program. The Planning Committee also holds symposia to discuss the achievements of the researches.
