Multi-disciplinary Hazard Reduction from Earthquakes and Volcanoes in Indonesia

Standing Up to Earthquakes, Tsunamis and Volcanoes: Combining the Capabilities of Science and Society

Principal Investigator

- Prof.
  SATAKE Kenji
  Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo

ODA Recipient Country

Republic of Indonesia

Research Institutions in Japan

The University of Tokyo / Tohoku University / Nagoya University / Kyoto University / Fuji Tokoha University

Research Institutions in Counterpart Country

Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI)

Adoption fiscal year

FY 2008

Research Period

3 Years

Overview of the Research Project

250 researchers gather to work on comprehensive disaster prevention measures
Indonesia is very similar to Japan in that it has many volcanoes and is subject to frequent earthquakes. Nearly 250 researchers from the two countries are pooling knowledge and technologies to establish an unprecedented comprehensive disaster prevention setup. These researchers will not merely conduct research on forecasting earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions as has been done in the past; they will establish channels for the prompt communication of disaster information, promote measures to counter ground liquefaction and the like, and support the creation of a disaster-resilient society from a variety of perspectives. The results of their research will be reflected in disaster education, public awareness campaigns and even national policy, in an effort to improve overall earthquake and volcano disaster preparedness.

Disaster prevention technologies created through joint research can be fed back to Japan
The project has already succeeded in clarifying the earthquake history through a study of active faults, as well as preparation of a detailed tsunami hazard map, successful short-term forecasting of volcanic eruptions, field testing of tsunami control forests and other achievements. The ultimate goal of the project is to mitigate earthquake, tsunami and volcanic eruption disasters in both Indonesia and Japan.

Photo gallery

A study of the Lembang fault on the outskirts of Bandung. A trench was excavated at the base of the fault escarpment at the rear. The study of the geological layers revealed that an earthquake had occurred several thousand years ago.