Research

Important Areas of Research

At the DRI, we define important areas of research as major areas of disaster management research for which there is a need over the coming 30 years or so due to the conditions in our society for the foreseeable future, our mission and social needs. We seek to make a genuine contribution to society through practical research on disaster management. In their work, our researchers prioritize the important areas of research while operating within their own specialties. We conduct a regular annual review and assessment of the important areas of research and of the nature of individual research activities in these areas, and make adjustments as necessary.

Japan is prone to earthquakes and damage from wind and water. Due to the country’s urbanization and the growing complexity and diversification of its social structure, the risks posed by disasters have also become more complex and diverse. Research on disaster prevention is not just limited to tangible countermeasures that rely on science and technology: it must also respond in less tangible ways that focus on society’s structure and its institutions.

Local governments have a need for concrete solutions to problems they can prepare for the next massive disaster. Today’s research into disaster management goes beyond applying advanced science and technology such as IT and robots: it is also opening up new areas of research through interdisciplinary approaches. Furthermore, some of the greater efforts being made are our joint industry-academia research projects.

Given this background, the Disaster Reduction and Human Renovation Institution’s important areas of research have been defined as follows.