Our Mission

The primary mission of the Earthquake Research Institute (ERI) is to promote advanced research of the solid earth in order to pioneer a way to better understand earthquakes and volcanic activities.
These understandings will promote systematic research for predicting earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, basic research that leads to a mitigation of earthquake and volcanic disasters, and advanced, multifaceted research of geodynamics that cause earthquake and volcanic phenomena.

Our principles and goals of educational cooperation

ERI provides an ideal environment to educate researchers who can lead on a world-wide scale by cooperating with the Department of Earth and Planetary Science, the Department of Civil Engineering, and the Department of Architecture. Graduate students will have opportunities to participate in extensive field observations and hands-on research.

Our principles and goals of scientific research

Our principles and goals of scientific research are to promote research of the solid earth, and to pioneer a way to better understand earthquakes and volcanic activities.
Collecting long-term, high-precision data, and developing observational technology are essential in promoting solid earth science. ERI cooperates with other research institutes and researchers to meet the challenges of long-term research. Also, as a national research institute, ERI tries to shed new light on geophenomena by promoting extensive research on earthquakes and volcanoes, and by pioneering new fields of research.

Our principles and goals of oversight

Major long-term field observations, and cooperation among other research institutes and researchers from within the country, and from abroad, are all essential in promoting research of the solid earth. ERI, as a national research institute, plays an important role in promoting and conducting such cooperative research.

The Coordinating Committee of Earthquake and Volcanic Eruption Prediction Research has been established, and this committee will coordinate such cooperative research. Also, ERI plays a leading role in forming and conducting research that will maintain a network for geophysical observation of the Pacific region.

Primary Functions

ERI mainly plays three significant roles at the University of Tokyo. First, ERI contributes to advancing the level of research at the University of Tokyo by promoting research of earthquake and volcanic phenomena on a global scale. While focusing on earthquake and volcanic activities, ERI also deals with different aspects of academic research. Second, ERI plays a key role in the high quality level of graduates by promoting field research and hands- on research done on-site. Professors of the Department of Earth and Planetary Science who teach seismology and volcanology also belong to ERI. Third, ERI contributes to society by supplying research results that will help to mitigate natural disasters such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.