Title: NSF/Tokyo Report: An Overview of Hazard and Disaster Research in Japan Date: 4/28/97 The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission. These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy makers; they are not statements of NSF policy. Special Scientific Report #97-10 (April 18, 1997) An Overview of Hazard and Disaster Research in Japan The following report was prepared by Dr. William A. Anderson, Head of the Hazard Mitigation Systems Section at the National Science Foundation. Dr. Anderson visited Japan from March 21-30, 1997 as a Visiting Research Fellow (short-term) under the sponsorship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Dr. Haruo Hayashi of Kyoto University served as host scientist to Dr. Anderson. Dr. Anderson may be reached via email at: wanderso@nsf.gov. The goal of my JSPS-sponsored visit was to learn more about the research and related activities of Japanese colleagues in the field of hazard and disaster research, and to identify opportunities for collaborative research between investigators in Japan and the U.S. I was especially interested in Japanese efforts to learn and implement lessons related to the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995. The hazard research field in both countries is multidisciplinary, involving such specialists as engineers and social scientists. The field also has direct ties to practitioners who are engaged in disaster mitigation, preparedness, and response activities. Thus the plan for my visit, set up in collaboration with my host, Dr. Haruo Hayashi of Kyoto University, involved my meeting with academic researchers in the disciplines of engineering and the social sciences, and with practitioners, such as members of voluntary disaster response groups. Finally, my visit to Japan was coordinated with another JSPS fellow, Professor Kathleen Tierney of the University of Delaware. A sociologist by training, Dr. Tierney is Co-Director of the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, and is also an internationally known disaster researcher who has not only contributed to her own discipline, but has also worked extensively with engineers through projects at the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr Hayashi also served as the host for Dr. Tierney on our coordinated visit. March 20-21 After leaving the U.S. on March 20, the visit in Japan lasted from March 21 through March 30, during which time Dr. Tierney and I visited institutions and experts in Kyoto, Kobe, Osaka, and Tokyo. We arrived at Kansai Airport on March 21, where we were met by Dr. Hayashi, who accompanied us to our hotel. During the trip to our hotel in Kyoto, Dr. Hayashi and his colleague, Dr. Satoshi Tanaka, also from Kyoto University, gave us a preliminary briefing on disaster research in Japan and discussed our schedule for the next several days in Japan. March 22 On Saturday morning, to start our exploration of research and implementation activities related to the Great Hanshin earthquake, we visited Phoenix Plaza in Kobe, where we discussed the impacts of the earthquake, research that was underway, and recovery and reconstruction plans for the damaged communities. We were most impressed with the technical displays that were available to the public at the Plaza as well as the scientific explanations that were provided about the causes and nature of the Great Hanshin earthquake and ways to reduce the impacts of future events. In the afternoon, we participated in a focused group session that was conducted in Nishinomiya about shelter problems following the Great Hanshin earthquake. This was one of twelve such group meetings that will provide information on problems associated with the earthquake. Information gathered at these meetings is being used by Dr. Hayashi and his colleagues at Kyoto University's Center for Disaster Reduction Systems to develop disaster ethnographies that can shed light on the impact of disasters on social systems and institutions and can also be used to guide future research. Dr. Tierney and I were able to ask several questions during this very interesting three and a half hour information-gathering meeting. March 23 On Sunday, we met with Dr. Tomohide Atsumi, Professor of Social Psychology at Kobe University and several of his colleagues, including Professor Toshiki Jinnishi. We discussed such topics as on-going Japanese research on the economic aspects of the Great Hanshin earthquake, research on voluntary group activities following that event, and problems related to conducting cross-team research in Japan. We also took a quick tour of some of the earthquake-damaged areas and viewed some of the temporary housing areas. In the evening, we visited the headquarters of NVNAD, a volunteer disaster network, and talked to the president, Mr. Tsutomu Korenaga. March 24 We had a most productive meeting with Drs. Hayashi and Yoshiaki Kawata on Monday at the Center for Disaster Reduction Systems (DRS), which is part of Kyoto University's Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI). DPRI is a leading research program in Japan whose major funding sources include the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture. Drs. Hayashi and Kawata discussed the history and development of the DPRI and DRS, the involvement of DRS in multidisciplinary research on the Great Hanshin earthquake, and the Center's emphasis on holistic, integrated research and its plans for the future. We also discussed possible U.S./Japan research collaboration, data exchanges and researcher visits. March 25 On Tuesday we attended the Workshop for an Integrated Framework on Urban Disaster Countermeasures which was held in Kyoto and organized by Professor Hiroyuki Kameda, an internationally known engineering colleague of Dr. Hayashi's at DPRI. The workshop was part of an activity that was initiated to integrate the multidisciplinary research activity and implementation efforts that emerged following the Great Hanshin earthquake. This activity is supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture. Participants from throughout Japan attended the workshop, and included specialists from such disciplines as seismology, engineering, and the social sciences. March 26 On Wednesday, Professors Hayashi and Tanaka took us to Osaka to attend the Symposium on Lessons Learned from the Hanshin Earthquake Disaster. This symposium was held by the Lifeline Network, Kansai, and Dr. Hayashi was one of the featured speakers. Attendees included researchers and representatives from public utilities and government. A highlight of this symposium was the discussion on changes in organizational policies, procedures and the application of technologies as a result of the earthquake experience. March 27 We traveled from Kyoto to Tokyo on Thursday. In Tokyo, we visited the office of the Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, where we met with Mr. Kazunori Higuchi and briefly discussed our experiences in Japan up to that point of our visit and the JSPS fellowship program in general. This was followed by a visit to the Tokyo office of the National Science Foundation, which is located in the U.S. Embassy. At the NSF office we met with Dr. Edward Murdy and Mr. M. Miyahara and discussed the need for more collaborative Japan/U.S. research in the hazard field, research activity at DPRI and the University of Delaware, and support for hazard research by NSF. March 28 Friday was spent with one of the leading social scientists in the disaster research field in Japan, Professor Hirotada Hirose of the Tokyo Woman's Christian University, and his colleague, Professor Shoji Tsuchida of Meiji University. We spent the day at Tokyo Woman's Christian University discussing the research Professors Hirose, who is President of the Japan Society for Risk Analysis, and Tsuchida are conducting on victims of the Great Hanshin earthquake who are residents of temporary housing in Kobe. We also discussed their plans for future research on the aftermath of the earthquake and possible U.S./Japan research collaboration. March 29 On Saturday, we held discussions with the staff of the International Center for Disaster-Mitigation Engineering (INCEDE) at Tokyo University, including Professors Ken Sudo and Kimiro Meguro, and Mr. Dushmanta Dutta. INCEDE was formed to conduct research and to develop new technologies for disaster mitigation and to encourage international cooperation in the field. It has an on-going relationship with DPRI, which includes cooperating on an activity called the Center-to-Center Project that is sponsored by JSPS and NSF and which focuses on post-earthquake reconstruction and rehabilitation strategies. The participants from the U.S. side of this Japan/U.S. activity include the National Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and the University of Delaware. Our meeting with the INCEDE staff involved discussions about the INCEDE research program and implementation of the Center-to-Center Project, including an upcoming workshop that will be held at the University of Delaware in ! September of this year. March 30 On Sunday, Dr. Tierney and I flew back to the U.S., ending a trip that had many professional and personal highlights. Dr. Tierney and I left with a greater understanding and appreciation of hazard research in Japan. And we were able to establish new ties with researchers and agencies in Japan and renew earlier contacts, which should help further U.S./Japan collaboration in the future. For example, DPRI is opening a small office in the U.S. and hopes to maintain close ties with related NSF activities. DPRI is also seeking NSF assistance in selecting visiting scholars to their Kyoto campus. Additionally, working with Japanese colleagues during our visit, Dr. Tierney was able to push ahead with plans for the U.S./Japan disaster research workshop that she will be hosting at the University of Delaware in September. Our visit convinced me that Japan remains one of the world's leaders in the field of hazard and disaster research. Japan has well trained researchers involved in cutting-edge research in this field and research facilities to match their needs. I was particularly impressed with the emerging generation of new scholars in Japan. Many of these young scholars have also had invaluable overseas experience, which has given them a global perspective. The emergence of this new cadre of researchers is clear evidence that Japan will have the requisite experts to lead the society into the Twenty First Century, increasing the prospects for significant U.S./Japan collaboration in hazard research in the years ahead. I was also impressed with the desire that our Japanese colleagues expressed in taking on major challenges in the hazard research field, such as pursuing integrated or holistic research. With its staff members from the disciplines of engineering, the physical sciences, and the social sciences, DPRI is one of the institutions in Japan taking the lead in this area. Clearly, such approaches will result in fundamental changes in the knowledge base in the field and the development of innovative technologies and strategies that will make society safer from earthquakes and other natural hazards.