Mitigating earthquake damage

Japan is famous for its earthquakes. About 20% of the world’s earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or higher occur in or around Japan.

Earthquakes are complex disasters that cause buildings to collapse, landslides, tsunamis, and fires, affecting evacuation and recovery even after the shaking stops. Kyoto University conducts earth science and engineering studies on earthquake mechanisms and damage prediction, high-precision simulation development, and multifaceted earthquake disaster prevention research in informatics, social psychology, and economics.

Known for its efforts centering on observation, the university collects mobile observation data domestically and internationally, including temporary aftershock monitoring using its own seismometers. Joint research with the Japan Meteorological Agency has contributed to the development of earthquake early warning technology that predicts arrival times and the intensity of shaking immediately after an earthquake occurs.

Currently, research exploring the relationship between “slow earthquakes” (weak, gradual slips at plate boundaries) and major earthquakes is drawing attention as a potential new earthquake prediction method. After being observed in the source region of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, similar phenomena were reported before major earthquakes in Mexico and Chile, leading to international collaborative research.

Kyoto University continues its work to protect lives and livelihoods through cutting-edge research and the development of practical disaster prevention measures.

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• Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University
• Prof. Masumi Yamada
• Research Center for Earchquake Hazards｜Prof. Yoshihiro Ito