IRIDeS collaborative researchAccurate measurement of tsunami
boulders at the Sanriku coast
Tsunamis inundate large coastal areas and cause severe damage. Size of pasttsunamis can be reconstructed from tsunami deposits. Tsunami boulder is a typeof tsunami deposit, and the energy required to transport it can be used toreconstruct the magnitude of tsunami. In April 2023, researchers from IRIDeS
and University of Plymouth measured tsunami boulders precisely by using stateof-the-art instruments such as a drone and LIDAR. The results of themeasurements are expected to provide more detailed information on therelationship between the boulders and the tsunami hydrodynamics.

(A) Tsunami boulder at Raga
The boulder was transported by the1896 Meiji-Sanriku tsunami. We
measured the volume and shape ofthe boulder using Lidar.

(B) Tsunami boulder at Karakuwa
Many boulders were transported by
the 2011 tsunami at karakuwa. At
this site we used a drone toefficiently measure the tsunami
boulders by aerial photography.
After the measurements, a group
photo was taken in front of thetsunami boulders.

Contact:
Associate Prof. Dr. Daisuke Sugawara (Tohoku Univ.), sugawara@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Dr. Alison Raby (University of Plymouth), alison.raby@plymouth.ac.uk
Assistant Prof. Dr. Takashi Ishizawa (Tohoku Univ.), Ishizawa@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

APRU （Association of Pacific Rim
Universities）Multi-Hazards Program
APRU is a university network consisting of 60 universities in the PacificRim. Under the network, the Multi-Hazards (MH) Program was establishedin 2013 in collaboration with Tohoku University and APRU. IRIDeS hosts its
secretariat and provides coordination and administrative services.
The program aims to:• harness the collective capabilities of APRU universities for cutting-edge
research on disaster science• contribute to international and regional discussions to make influence adisaster risk reduction policy(A) EDUCATION
1.

2.

Summer school: to learn about the2011 tsunami disaster andinternational disaster risk
reduction(DRR) strategy.
Webinar series: to share anddiscuss current disaster science
topics(B) RESEARCH
1.

2.

(C) CONTRIBUTION TO POLICY-MAKING
Progress in Disaster Science：
PROCESSan international journal publishedby Elsevier
Research symposium: to shareresearch outcomes and discusscollaborative opportunities

Contact: Prof. Takako Izumi (Tohoku Univ.)
izumi@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

1.

2.

UN Science and Technology Conference
on DRR: to promote the application ofscience and technology in DRR
Collaboration with international/regionalorganizations: to bring the academic
voices to the discussion atinternational/regional levels

Designing with Disaster Stories fromSeven Regenerative Cities
These conferences, which were held in Tokyo in 2022 andin LA in 2023, drafted the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction 2015-2030 which outlined targets andpriorities for action to prevent new and reduce existingdisaster risks worldwide. Based on the Sendai Framework,
UCLA xLAB and Tohoku University’s IRIDeS collaborated
with 11 Pacific Rim universities on a new initiative named
ArcDR3 (Architecture and Urban Design for Disaster Risk
Reduction and Resilience). Design studios linked toresearch at each university have been exploring ways torespond to disasters and build new disaster-resilient
environments around the world. This exhibition presented
exciting proposals for Seven Regenerative Cities inspiredby that exploration.
(A) Seven
Regenerative Cities
proposed by 11
Pacific Rim
universities(B) Scenery of the
Exhibition(C) Commemorative
Photo with Gene D
Block (UCLA
Chancellor), Hideo
Ohno (Tohoku Univ.
President), Fumio
Imamura (IRIDeS
Director), andHitoshi Abe(Director, xLab)

Contact: Prof. Dr. Osamu Murao (Tohoku Univ.),
murao@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Development of antiviral drugs
against SARS-CoV-2
The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acuterespiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has continually been serious
threat to public health worldwide. At present, only four anti-SARS-CoV-2
therapeutics (remdesivir, molnupiravir, nirmatrelvir and ensitrelvir) targeting viral
polymerase and main protease (Mpro) have been clinically available. However, theantiviral potency of these three compounds does not seem to be sufficient enough.
We have developed novel antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2 and identified two
promising agents (TKB245 and TKB248) that exhibited stronger antiviral activity
and better pharmacokinetics than nirmatrelvir, which is one of the most effective
therapeutics for COVID-19 targeting Mpro. TKB245 and TKB248 might serve as
potential therapeutics for COVID-19 and shed light upon further optimization todevelop more potent and safer anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutics.

O

GRL2420/5h

TKB245S

TKB248Fig. 1 Chemical structure of antiviral drugs against SARS-CoV-2. TKB245 and 248 were developed
based on GRL2420/h. TKB245 shows 30 times stronger antiviral activity against COVID-19 thannirmatrelvir. TKB248 has not only stronger antiviral activity but also better pharmacokinetics thannirmatrelvir. (Nat. Commun. 2021, doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-20900-6 and Nat. Commun. 2023, doi:
10.1038/s41467-023-36729-0)
Fig. 2 Co-crystal structures of TKB245
ab
and TKB248 with SARS-CoV-2 Mpro.
a Overview of Mpro dimer in complex withTKB245. Molecular surface of protomer A
is colored in cyan and protomer B inorange. b Superimposition of TKB245 ingreen onto TKB248 in purple exhibits
identical binding mode. Mpro binding pocket
is colored according to hydrophobicity
scale. c Side-by-side comparison ofcnirmatrelvir vs TKB-245 and TKB-248 (asshown in transparent surface) onto thepolyprotein substrate shown in sticks. Bluecolor indicates the 4-fluorobenzothiazole
ring of TKB245 and TKB248 that effectively fill the S1’subsite compared to nirmatrelvir.
Contact: Assistant Prof. Dr. Hironori Hayashi (Tohoku Univ.), hironori.hayashi.b1@tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Dr. Hiroaki Mitsuya (NCGM and NIH), hmitsuya@hosp.ncgm.go.jp and hiroaki.mitsuya2@nih.gov

Disaster Medicine and Public Health
After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, IRIDeS incorporated the disastermedical science division for its transdisciplinary approach with medical
responders and creative reconstruction of regional medical and public healthresilience. Improved nationwide disaster medical system and Tohoku Medical
Megabank cohort project has been implemented. In COVID-19 pandemic, theimproved system played a significant role in the detection, prevention, andeffective response to the pandemic. IRIDeS is playing a leading role in thescientific improvement of research, education, and genome-based tailored
medicine and public health locally, nationally and globally.
400"health""disaster"

280

300
200
100
0

314

153
0

3

34

Yokohama
Hyogo
Sendai
Strategy 1995 Framework for Framework for
Action 2005 Disaster Risk
Reduction
2015

Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study (TMM
BirThree Cohort Study) for long-term
assessment in the disaster-affected population

Radiation Dose

Increase of word numbers of“health” in disaster risk reduction
frameworks.

Existing data from
nuclear bomb andexperiments

Longitudinalsampling

Estimated
doses inJapanese
macaques
Doses of high social
concern

The scientific gap
in data andknowledge
Biochemical assessment

Translation of the WHO Guidance of
Research Methods in Health- Emergency
Radiation Dose Rateand Disaster Risk Management into
Assessment of the long-term biological effect of lowJapanese for research promotion
dose radiation exposure with a longitudinal samplingof wild Japanese macaques and experimental
Contact:
biochemical assessment using innovative
Prof. Shinichi Kuriyama (Tohoku Univ.),
technology
kuriyama@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Shinichi Egawa (Tohoku Univ.),
egawas2@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Virginia Murray (Public Health UK),virginia.murray@ukhsa.gov.uk

Environmental and technologicalvulnerabilities, and public representations
in a post-disaster context
Global climate changes degrade ecosystems causing natural disorders andhazards events in Europe, Japan or North America, and other world
regions. The exposure of human communities to significant risks such as floods,
soil erosion, major fires, earthquakes, tidal waves and tsunamis, with theirdevastating effects on infrastructure and industrial facilities and theirconsequences for people and property, is a factor in the crisis of confidence inthe countries most affected by these events. These natural events tend toincrease in magnitude, making these territories more vulnerable totechnological hazards.
This research aims to identify:
1) Local environmental vulnerabilities and infrastructural responses
2) Local risk representations and communication in disaster museums,
memorials, and other public spaces.
3) The capacities of local inhabitants and civil society to influence publicdecision-making to consolidate risk prevention and promote global
responses to environmental vulnerabilities.

"Imagining the Aftermath: Lessons fromthe 2011 Tohoku Disasters and futureissues from Interdisciplinary Science”,
Lyon-Tohoku Workshop, French
Embassy in Tokyo, Japan

Reseearch on environmtal andtechnological vulnerability indisaster museums, The Great
East Japan Earthquake andNuclear Disaster Memorial
MuseumContact: Dr. Sébastien P. Boret (Tohoku Univ.), boret@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Dr. Pierre (Lyon University, CNRS)

Fieldwork on
infrastructure,
Tsunami Walls andCoastal Reconstruction

Graduate Training Program:Multidisciplinary Coastal Zone Hazards
Institutes – US, Japan, France, Indonesia
As coastal areas become more densely populated, they become
increasingly exposed to climate change, which, combined with natural
hazards and human-driven landscape transformation, can amplify thedestruction and loss of ecosystem services, life, and property.
In this program, we develop an interdisciplinary graduate training
program to educate young researchers to understand coastal
phenomena using modern technologies such as earth observation andartificial intelligence, and in combination with fieldwork activities.

Advanced Studies Institutes (ASI) PartnershipFirst US-Japan
remote sensing
webinar on Advancesin Disaster Science
hosted by the Remote
Sensing MDPI Journal(Webinar ID: 822
7632 9470)

NSF ETAP Opportunity

The first ASI Program in Advanced
Studies of Coastal Marine Environments
will be held at South Brittany University,
France, from 5th to 17th of June 2023.
Participants are U.S. graduate students
enrolled in M.S. or Ph.D. programs in Earth,disaster, data, and social sciences applied tocoastal zone hazards and disaster resilience.

Contact:
 Tohoku University:• Prof. Dr. Shunichi Koshimura, koshimura@irides.tohoku.ac.jp• Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bruno Adriano, adriano@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
 Boston University• Prof. Dr. Magaly Koch, mkoch@bu.edu

ContactImplementation of the Sendai Framework for
Disaster Risk Reduction: Global Centre for Disaster
Statistics (GCDS)[Website]https://irides.tohoku.ac.jp/eng/
organization/gcds/gcds.html
United Nations Development Program (UNDP) andthe International Research Institute of Disaster
Science (IRIDeS) at Tohoku University jointly
announced the establishment of the Global Centre
for Disaster Statistics (GCDS) in March 2015 during
the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk
Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai. Voices of supportand expectation to this initiative were received,
including the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Basic concept of the GCDSThe GCDS contributes to sustainable development
based on evidence-based policy making.
Support the United Nations Office for Disaster
Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and countries formonitoring the progress of the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Provide scientific analysis and technical advice
on their disaster loss and damage dataProvide policy advice to build capacities ofnational/local governments based on theirdemands

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s
speech at Tohoku University
Symposium Forum held in the WCDRR

Detailed scheme of the GCDS

Contact:
Prof. Yuichi Ono (Tohoku Univ.), yono@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Assoc. Prof. Daisuke Sasaki (Tohoku Univ.), dsasaki@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Increasing Resilience of Urban Planning
Climate change is increasing the risk of natural disasters in cities, including
floods, and the role of urban planning to cope with such disasters is also
increasing.
The objectives of this study are (1) to develop a theory of urban planning andland use planning that addresses disaster risk by applying the risk management
process to the urban planning process (an integrated approach), and todemonstrate its potential for use, and (2) to develop a vision of the ideal form ofurban planning for reconstruction by investigating, comparing, and examining
the actual urban planning responses to disaster risk and the resulting urban
form in the reconstruction period after severe disasters in various countries
around the world.
We developed handbooks on disaster resilient urban planning that combines
the previous experiences of all three countries, Germany, Slovakia and Japan,
with the newly created knowledge and offered assistance for practitioners. We
have also compiled a collection of case studies on recovery from majordisasters in various countries, analyzed the issues, and published them in abook.
(A) Structure of Risk
Governance(B) “The Spatial planning and resilience following disasters”(2016)
Contact: Prof. Dr. Michio Ubaura (Tohoku Univ.) ubaura@tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Dr. Stefan Greiving (TU Dortmund) stefan.greiving@tu-dortmund.de
Jaroslav Tesliar (Agency for regional development support Kosice)jaroslav.tesliar@arr.sk

International Standards (ISO) for Smart
Community Infrastructures for Disaster
Risk reduction
As the global population continues to grow, many urban communities face increasingpressure from population growth. In order to manage the greater demand on resources,
many municipalities are adopting smart community infrastructure. However at the same time,ongoing climate change may lead to increasing intensity and/or frequency of hazard events.
In order to reduce disaster risk, members of IRIDeS have collaborated with international
experts as well as international organizations such as the United Nations Development
Programme and the Asian Development Bank, to develop International Standards that could
be utilized by communities across the world, to strengthen the resiliency of their community’s
infrastructure.

Benefits of Standardization• Provides guidelines that could be used globally• Promotes technology transfers from developed countries to developing countries• Strengthens disaster resiliency in communities
Standards being developed under Smart Community Infrastrucutres for Disaster Risk Reduction• ISO TR 6030 –Survey results and gap analysis of global infrastructure• ISO IS 37174 –Guidelines for implementing seismometer systems (In progress)• ISO IS 37179 –Basic framework for the implementation of disaster risk reduction (In progress)
Project Leader:Specially Appointed Associate Professor
Dr. David N. Nguyen
University of Hawaii Alumni, East-West Center Alumni
Ph.D. from Tohoku University
Specialization in Urban Planning, Tourism Planning, Disaster
Management
Contact: nguyen@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Visit our UNDRR pageInternational Workshop Series on Remote
Sensing for Disaster Management
International Workshop on Remote Sensing for Disaster Response was jointly
organized at Tohoku University. The host department was International
Research Institute of Disaster Science, Tohoku University. The workshop
provides an opportunity for experts, researchers, and practitioners to exchange
ideas and present the recent advances in the field of disaster management,
response and recovery using remote sensing and geo-science technology.
Among all other topics, participants are encouraged to focus on topics such as
rapid regional damage assessment, crowd-sourcing, multi-platform data
integration and application of machine learning. Close to 30 participants fromsix countries (U.S., Japan, UK, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands) delivered
23 presentations on a broad set of topics dealing with Disaster Monitoring andEmergency Response, Hurricane, Flood and Landslide Monitoring andApplication, Urban Remote Sensing, Tsunami, and Disaster Risk Reduction.
The workshop participants strongly agreed that this workshop series, in an
enhanced form, should continue albeit on a two-year basis. The participants
have expressed their enjoyment in the meeting in the current setting where they
can track and share on a regular basis progress in long-term research programs.
However, the group also agreed that the workshop can effectively be enhancedby adding a third day that focuses on policy or implementation issues, much likewas done at the 2011 Stanford Workshop. Other considerations include moving
towards a peer-review paper format where researchers can more easily getcredit for the papers presented and published.

Group photos at the workshop venue
and the field trip.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Shunichi Koshimura (Tohoku Univ.),
koshimura@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Investigating the transmission ofdisaster memory
The transmission of disaster memory to future generations is vital in disastereducation and risk reduction. In various joint research projects with counterpartsin the G7 countries, IRIDeS analyzes whose disaster lessons are passed on towhat kind of audience and what needs to be done to create more inclusive
disaster education. Taking examples of oral history or disaster storytelling,museums and exhibitions, archives, negative heritage preservation, or various
art forms, several projects investigate how various forms of disaster memorytransmission affect recipients differently. We hope that the research insights arehelpful not only in disaster education but also regarding memory transmission of
all kinds of traumatic events.

(A) As part of Berlin Science Week 2020, Tohoku
University held a joint public lecture with Free
University of Berlin, to discuss ways to build resilient
societies from the lessons of recent disasters.

(C) A joint project with Stanford University
analyzes the merits of traditional Japanese
paper theater (Kamishibai) as a hybrid
form of collective and cultural memory, inparticular regarding the 2011 nuclear
disaster. (Machimonogatari Sakusei Iinkai,
Munen)(B) LMU Munich held a workshop on
disaster memory together with facultyof IRIDeS and Fuyubi Nakamura,
Assistant Professor at the Universityof British Columbia and curator of the“A future for memory exhibition.”(D) IRIDeS faculty held workshops with students
from Free University of Berlin and LMU Munich
discussing disaster memory with survivors of the2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami
and nuclear disaster.

Contact:
Assist. Prof Julia Gerster (Tohoku Univ.), gerster@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

IRIDeS faculty member dispatching
to UCL
Bridging Japan and UK`s knowledge on disaster to the world!
Period: April to December 2023
University College London (UCL)
Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction (IRDR) and
Earthquake and People Interaction Centre (EPICENTRE)
Planned events and activities
To strengthen collaboration with UCL not only ongoing interdisciplinary
research on disaster but also co-supervision of PhD students (withexpected joint publications) and other related activities for double
degree (DD) with UCL.
- April: IRDR Spring academy  networking- June: IRDR annual symposium- July: Youth challenge  UCL-TU hosted high school students
exchange program- August: Internship students from IRDR to IRIDeS- October: Extension of university level MOU

Joint research topics

Earthquake science

Joint fieldwork in disaster
affected area

Engineering damage
assessment

Social study on
gender and disaster

Public health andmedical megabankIRIDeS-USGS collaborative researches on tsunami
deposits and sediment transport modelingLessons learned from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake is the importance of geologicalevidences of past disaster, such as tsunami deposits. They infer recurrence intervals andsizes of infrequent large earthquakes and tsunamis. Researchers from IRIDeS and USGS
have jointly conducted post-tsunami surveys after the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake andinvestigations of paleotsunami deposits. We also dedicated much efforts for developing
numerical modeling of tsunami sediment transport, to extract more information from thedeposits. Outcomes have been published in several co-authored papers and presentations.
Dr. Jaffe (USGS)

Dr. Gelfenbaum (USGS)

Dr. La Selle(USGS)

Dr. Jaffe
Dr. Gelfenbaum
Post-tsunami geological survey at
Natori City, Miyagi Prefecture (May.
5, 2011)

Post-tsunami geological survey at
Minami-soma City, Fukushima
Prefecture (Nov. 14, 2014)

Paleotsunami deposit coring at Kauai
Island, Hawaii (Nov. 15, 2015)

A

B

C

Sugawara et al. (2014) Mar. Geol. 352

Jaffe et al. (2016) J.Disaster Res. 11 (4)Map of the coastal area of Natori and Iwanuma Cities [A] and comparisonof [B] flow speed and [C] deposit thickness generated by forward modelingof tsunami sediment transport and inverse modeling of tsunami deposit
along the transect in [A]. (Sugawara et al., 2015, Coastal Sediments 2015)

Contacts:
Dr. Daisuke Sugawara (Tohoku University), sugawara@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Dr. Bruce Jaffe (United States Geological Survey), bjaffe@usgs.gov

Learning from diverse experiences: Case
Studies from L’Aquila and Tohoku
IRIDeS faculty works closely together Historian Lucia Patrizio Gunning andurbanist Paola Rizzi, who continuously stress the importance of social aspectsof reconstruction and the need to go beyond merely physical approaches torecovery. The researchers discussed, amongst others, examples from L’Aquila
and Tohoku that are included in their recently published edited volume «Invisible
Reconstruction» at the World Bosai Forum 2023 and related sessions at IRIDeS.
Future joint research projects will continue to explore the “interconnection ofpeople, culture, and environment and on constructive approaches tostrengthening the intangible ties to increase resilience and reduce vulnerability”(Gunning and Rizzi 2022).

(A) Prof. Lucia Patrizio Gunning
explains the background of the2009 L’Aquila Earthquake in Italy.

(C) Prof. Gunning introduces an archive project thatwas conducted after the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake in
Italy as a way to contribute to cultural recovery, or“invisible reconstruction.”Contact: Assistant Professor Miwako Kitamura (Tohoku Univ.),
miwako.kitamura.b8@tohoku.ac.jp(B) A joint research forum was heldat IRIDeS after the 2023 World
Bosai Forum to discuss recovery
case studies from Italy, England,
and Japan. A special focus of theforum was on gender and diversity
in memory transmission.

Machine Learning approaches
for real-time tsunami forecasting
Real-time tsunami predictions will unquestionably contribute to the prompt
evacuation of people living in onshore areas. Recent machine learning (ML)algorithms are expected to further accelerate the process of real-time and its
reliability. We are collaborating with a research team in the U.S. to develop a
new real-time tsunami forecasting method based on ML. In this project, wetarget two sites both threatened by future tsunami risk in U.S. and Japan,
Westport and Kochi.
Collaborators:(C) Prof. Emer. R. J. LeVeque,
University of Washington(D) Asst. Prof D. Rim,
Washington University in St. Louis(A) ML based real-timetsunami risk evaluation in
Westport (WA, USA)(B) Tsunami simulation
targeting the Westport.
These data are for training ML
algorithm.

(E), (F) ML based real-timetsunami risk evaluation in Kochi
city, JPN: Inundation risk map andpredicted tsunami wave history(red-lines) against actual tsunami(black line)

Contact: Prof. Kenjiro Terada (Tohoku Univ.),
tei@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Shuji Moriguchi (Tohoku Univ.),
s_mori@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Asst. Prof. Reika Nomura (Tohoku Univ.),
nomura@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Managing Mass Death and Grief inDisaster Communities
Human experience and recovery from disasters vary with the vulnerability level toindividuals and groups. Some vulnerabilities pre-exist the catastrophe, such as forpeople with special needs and other minorities. Other vulnerabilities result fromthe disaster itself. New vulnerabilities include the grief and trauma of thosebereaved individuals and families who experienced the loss of family members or
a community that suffered mass death. In both cases, vulnerability is not a fatality.
The better society prepares for handling the victims of disasters and their
bereaved families, the lesser the impact of disasters in the short and long term.
The aim of this research is to :1) provide a sociocultural understanding of each step of management of mass
death from the recovery of the bodies to the collective memorial monuments.
2) draw “lessons” by assessing the successes and the failures of the
management of past mass death,3) apply the findings by designing a framework for managing mass death.
4) reduce the social and psychological impact of mass death.

Mass grave for thevictims of the 2011
Tohoku earthquake

Contact: Dr. Sébastien P. Boret (Tohoku Univ.), boret@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Anstett (ADES. CNRS), Mr Sora Duly, (Aix-Marseille
University)

Monuments for the
bereaved of the 2011
Tohoku Earthquake

Neuroscience of Disaster Communicationin Multilingual Contexts
Successful communication among disaster victims and responders is crucial indisaster response. In multilingual contexts, this requires not only effective
communication strategies but also foreign language skills. Our brain data indisaster communication show that foreign language use increases not only
linguistic but also the conceptual processing load of strategic processes. Thissuggests the usefulness of disaster communication-specific foreign language
teaching and learning.

(A) Each participant in the MRI scanner was asked to select four out of eight items
to take to the shelter in the event of a flood warning and to explain their choices.
MRI

Conceptual processing

2

Communication strategy

1
0
-1
-2
-3

Foreign

Native(B) In the strategic process of communication, the activity of the angular gyrus
involved in conceptual processing was more elevated during foreign language use.
Contact:
Prof. Motoaki Sugiurasugiura@tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Andrea Révész
a.revesz@ucl.ac.uk

Promoting Seismic Protective Systems
for Resilient Societies
Pacific Rim Earthquake Engineering Mitigation Protective Technologies
International Virtual Environment (PREEMPTIVE)
The purpose of this PREEMPTIVE Virtual Institute is to build a community for
researchers who share interest in understanding, promoting and accelerating the
adoption of protective systems for multi-hazard protection of buildings throughout
the Pacific Rim to provide for resilient and sustainable societies. The virtual
institute brings together a team of 10 NSF funded investigators and Chilean, New
Zealander, and Japanese counterpart teams in the areas of protective systems, toform long term global professional relationships, through a virtual research hub,regular workshops and an innovative educational component. Recent earthquakes
around the Pacific Rim in Chile (M8.8, February 27, 2010), New Zealand (M6.3,
February 22, 2011) and Japan (M9.0, March 11, 2011) provide poignant
opportunities to explore the seismic and multi-hazard (e.g., tsunami) performanceof protective systems and better understand the demands and necessary capacity
required of these protective systems.
Principal Investigators: Prof. R. Christenson, UCONN, Prof. E. Johnson, USC, Prof. G. Ragusa, USC
Japan side collaborators: Prof. K. Ikago, IRIDeS, Tohoku Univ., Prof. T. Okazaki, Hokkaido Univ.

IRIDeS hosted the first PREEMPTIVE Workshop and will host another in July, 2023.

Exchange of Researchers between Japan and the UK in the field ofEarthquake Engineering
Prof. Ikago of IRIDeS gave a talk at a mini symposium held atUniversity of Sheffield (May, 2019)

IRIDeS is going to accept Dr.
Predaricka Deastra (the oneon the far left of the photo)
who received PhD degreefrom University of Sheffield
as a JSPS postdoctoral
fellow from late September,
2023.
A PhD student of IRIDeS will
Photo: Laboratory for Verification visit Sheffield for six months
and Validation (LVV), Sheffield, UK from May, 2023.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Kohju Ikago (Tohoku Univ.),
ikago@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii),
British Columbia Tsunami, 2012
On October 27, 2012, an Mw 7.8 earthquake occurred
202km SSW of Prince Rupert, Canada, and triggered theQueen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii), British Columbia
tsunami. The tsunami reached 44cm in Canada and 76 in
Hawai’i. IRIDeS faculty analyzed the earthquake and tsunami
immediately after their occurrence.

(A) A model of the 2012 Queen Charlotte Islands tsunami published on a
special IRIDeS website updating the public about the earthquake and tsunami.

https://irides.tohoku.ac.jp/research/prompt_investigation/queencharlotte-eq.html

Contact:
Prof. Fumihiko Imamura, imamura@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Assoc. Prof. Shosuke Sato, ssato@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Assoc. Prof. Anawat Suppasri, suppasri@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Radar-based Building Damage Recognition
A prompt recognition of damages buildings and social infrastructure, as well as
details on their spatial distribution, is essential for effective disaster response
and recovery efforts. Remote monitoring of natural disasters from space isuseful to grasp the impact. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is especially usefulamong remote sensors because its capability to observe the Earth’s surface
regardless of weather conditions. Therefore, SAR images have been gaining
prominence as a reliable tool for grasping the overall picture of damage fromdisasters, and anticipating to help a quick and effective response. Through thecollaboration with the University of Waterloo, We developed a radar-based
remote sensing analysis in order to estimate the measure of building damagelevel in the tsunami-affected areas.
Left :TerraSAR-X* image in Sendai,
12 March, 2011
Lower Left: Discriminated building
damage (red: destroyed, blue:
surviving).
Bottom: Scatter diagram of thedifference in backscattering
coefficients and correlation
coefficients, and the line of
discriminant regression function[dB]

Discriminantfunction ZR

Correlation coefficient, r

1

0.5

0
High damage
Low damage-0.5

Z=0.65-10-50
5Difference, d [dB]

Contact: Prof. Dr. Shunichi Koshimura (Tohoku Univ.), koshimura@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Stephen G. Evans (Waterloo)

10Remote Sensing and Geo-informatics
for Mapping Disaster Impact
In the aftermath of catastrophic natural disasters, such as earthquakes andtsunamis, our society tends to experience significant difficulties in assessing
disaster impact within the limited period of time available. In recent years,
however, the quality of satellite sensors and access to, and use of satellite
imagery and services, has greatly improved. More and more space agencies
have embraced data-sharing policies that facilitate access to archived and upto-date imagery. We developed a semi-automated method to estimate building
damage using high-resolution synthetic aperture radar data.

(A) TerraSAR-X* image in Sendai,
12 March, 2011
*Imaging radar Earth observation
satellite, German Aerospace
Center (DLR)(B) Estimated building damage bymachine learning methods
developed through collaboration.

(C) The Global Partnership on Space Technology Applications for
Disaster Risk Reduction (GP-STAR), a platform fostering the useof Earth observation and Space-based Technologies andApplications to contribute to the implementation of the Sendai
Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Contact: Prof. Dr. Shunichi Koshimura (Tohoku Univ.),
koshimura@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Prof. Dr. Günter Strunz (German Aerospace Center),
Guenter.Strunz@dlr.deResearch on the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake
In December 2020, Professor Osamu Murao (Tohoku University) and architect
and Professor Shigeru Ban (Keio University) took the lead in creating a "Study
Group on the Establishment and Operation of Disaster Response Spaces".
They held several research meetings, including on the “Post-disaster Response
Activities in the Italian Civil Protection Department." Italy is said to be one of themost advanced countries in the world in terms of post-disaster support fordisaster victims, and the purpose of the workshop was to gain a deeper
understanding of such a system. As in the first meeting, Kimio Meguro,
Professor at the University of Tokyo, joined experts from the Institute in various
fields vital for the theme of the workshop, and the two groups exchanged
information on differences in Italian and Japanese disaster preparedness andresponse as well as cultural differences, for instance in the operation of
emergency shelters etc. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the research meetings
were held online with partners joining from Italy as well.

(A) A screenshot of the online research meeting with facultyfrom Japan and Italy.

Contact: Prof. Osamu Murao (Tohoku Univ.),
murao@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Resilience Research for Human-Centered
Data applied on Flood Risk Reduction
In this project, we aim to identify optimal evacuation advisory timings undervarious population exposure and flooding conditions. We used mobile spatial
statistical data and flooding scenarios to map and evaluate worse-casescenarios of population exposure and evacuation advisory based on
reinforcement learning in evacuation simulations and a stochastic programming
approach. We discussed the advantages and limitations of operational research
and machine learning methods to propose a practical example of an integrated
framework known as sequential decision analytics.

(A) Japan Mobile Spatial Statistics (MSS); (B) Target area: Koriyama
city in Fukushima during the 2019 Typhoon Hagibis; (C) The MSS
data within the target area (500m every 1 hour); (D) High Res. Flood
Simulation of the event; (E) Flood Risk Mapping; (F) Evacuation
Simulation.

Collaborators: Prof. Dr. Shunichi Koshimura (Tohoku Univ.),
Prof. Dr. Tatsuhito Kono (Tohoku Univ.),
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bruno Adriano (Tohoku Univ.),
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Masakazu Hashimoto (Kansai Univ.),
Assist. Prof. Dr. Luis Moya (PUCP, Peru)

Contact: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Erick Mas(Tohoku Univ.), mas@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zhijie Sasha Dong
(University of Houston), sasha@central.uh.edu

Teaching the Japan Disaster Digital
Archive (JDA): Insights from Japan
Since 2015, IRIDeS has been working closely together with the Japan Disasters
Digital Archive (JDA) of Harvard University’s Edwin O. Reischauer Institute ofJapanese Studies. Regular workshops have been held in the U.S. and Japan, in
which the participants learned about the importance of disaster digital archives,
how to use them, and how to contribute to the JDA, for instance, by creatingcollections on specific disaster-related topics. Further, a joint research projectwith faculty of the universities of Harvard, Princeton and Tohoku investigatedthe merits of geo-located archive data in disaster education.

(A) A JDA workshop with teachers from the
U.S. and students from Tohoku University
was held at the Reischauer Institute in2019.

(C) The “heat map” of the Japan Disasters
Digital Archive (JDA) displays the amountof specific geo-located data and its
locations. Similar to other map services,
users can zoom into the map until the data
points are displayed one by one.

(B) Tohoku University students explore geolocated archive data in the Miyagi Recoverypark.

(D) During the Covid-19 pandemic, joint-research
activities and student seminars were continued
online or in hybrid forms –opening new
possibilities to explore disaster digital archives.

Contact: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Akihiro Shibayama (Tohoku Univ.), shibayama@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
Assist. Prof Julia Gerster (Tohoku Univ.), gerster@irides.tohoku.ac.jp
J. Gerster, S. Boret, R. Morimoto, A. Gordon, A. Shibayama,The potential ofdisaster digital archives in disaster education: The case of the Japan disasters
digital archive (JDA) and its geo-location functions,International Journal ofDisaster Risk Reduction, Vol 77, 2022.

World BOSAI Forum 2023/IDRC2023 in SENDAIWorld BOSAI Forum 2023/IDRC2023 in SENDAI was held from March 10 to 12, 2023, witha total of 5,412 participants from 40 countries. The main conference consisted of 30 oral
sessions, 2 workshops, and a workshop on disaster risk reduction. The main conference
featured 30 oral sessions, 7 presentations, 55 poster presentations, and 33 minipresentations, and an exhibition called the World BOSAI EXPO showcased the technologies
and activities of private companies and organizations in disaster risk reduction products.

【Opening】【Session】【Excursions】【Closing】

The World BOSAI Prize was established tohonor those who have contributed to disaster
reduction. The prize was awarded to Calvin
Coolidge, the 30th president of the UnitedStates and Yukitake Wamura, former mayor of
Fudai Village in Iwate Prefecture.

We observed the reconstruction of two locations,
Yuriage in Natori City and Minamisanriku Town,
both of which were severely damaged by theGreat East Japan Earthquake.

The participants voiced their desire to see
conflicts around the world resolved as soon as
possible, as conflict is the greatest impediment todisaster risk reduction. On the other hand,international cooperation could be beneficial inresolving conflicts, this forum emphasized.

Mr. Yuichi Ono, President of the World BOSAI
Forum, presented the "World BOSAI Forum Sendai
Proposal 2023" and handed it to Ms. Mami Mizutori,
Special Representative of the UN SecretaryGeneral for Disaster Reduction and Head of the
UNDRR.
Contact: https://worldbosaiforum.com/en/
E-mail; info@worldbosaiforum.com
468 -1 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8572, JapanE 501,International Research Institute of Disaster Science,
Tohoku University

STRUCTURE

Risk Evaluation and Disaster Mitigation
Research Division
Subduction Earthquake Lab ● Inland Earthquake and Volcano Lab
Earthquake Engineering Lab ● Computational Safety Engineering Lab● Tsunami Engineering Lab● Disaster Geo-informatics Lab● Oceanic, Atmospheric and Outer Space Disaster Lab● Disaster Robotics Lab●●

Disaster Humanities and Social Science Division

Disaster Culture and Archive Studies
Preservation of Historical and Cultural Heritage Lab ● Cognitive Sciences Lab● International Strategy for Disaster Mitigation Lab● Regional Resilience Planning Lab● Spatial Design Strategies Lab●●

Disaster Medical Science DivisionInternational Cooperation for Disaster Medicine Lab
Disaster Medical Informatics Lab ● Radiological Disasters and Medical Science Lab● Disaster Psychiatry Lab● Disaster Obstetrics and Gynecology Lab● Disaster Public Health Lab● Infectious Diseases lab● Oral Health and Disaster Medicine Lab●●

The logo of IRIDeS is the
kanji 災(disaster) turned
upside down, showing
our determination to“turn disaster into good
fortune.”Practical Research and Collaboration Division

Disaster Education Research and Implementation Lab
Disaster Resilient Society Promotion Lab ● International Research Collaboration Oﬃce
● 2030 Global DRR Agenda Oﬃce
● Resilient EICT Research Promotion Oﬃce●●

Endowed Research Division●●

Earthquake Induced Tsunami Risk Evaluation Lab (Tokio Marine and Nichido Fire Insurance)
Earthquake Disaster Prevention for Urban Areas Lab (OYO Corporation)

Joint Research Division●●

Co-creation Centerfor
Disaster Resilience

AEON Disaster-Resilient and Environment-Friendly City Creation Joint Research Lab
Nippon Koei Resilient City with Digital Twin Technologies Joint Research Lab

Global Centre
for
Disaster Statistics

Kesennuma
Satellite
Oﬃce

Administration
Oﬃce

PublicRelations
Oﬃce

TIMELINE

April 2012

IRIDeS established at Tohoku University, with Prof. Arata Hirakawa as its ﬁrst Director

April 2013

Satellite Oﬃce was established in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture

April 2014

Prof. Fumihiko Imamura becomes the second Director of IRIDeS

March 2015

Supported The Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai. Sendai

April 2015

Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 became international policies.
IRIDeS and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) establish the Global Centre for Disaster Statistics

From 2017

The “World Bosai Forum/ International Disaster Risk Conference” starts to be held in Sendai City biannually

April 2022

Co-creation Center for Disaster Resilience was established at IRIDeS

April 2023

Prof. Shinichi Kuriyama becomes the third Director of IRIDeSACCESSAo b ay am a N e w C a m pu s , T o h o k u U n ive rs it y

Kawauchi

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International CentereLin

Sendai
StationKawauchiCampusSendai

Aobayama
CampusAobayama
New Campus

Sendai Castle(Aoba Castle)

I RI D eS B ui l di ng
Sendai Station →← Miyagi University of Education

North 1

South 1LAWSONSUBWAY
Take the Sendai Subway Tozai Line from Sendai Sta., get oﬀ at
Aobayama Sta. and walk for 3 min. from South 1 Exit.
TAXI
20 min. from Sendai Sta. by taxi (approx. 1,600 yen, depending on
conditions).

IRIDeS, Tohoku University468-1 Aramaki Aza-Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai Japan 980-8572
https://irides.tohoku.ac.jp/eng/
General Aﬀairs,
Administration Oﬃce

TEL: +81-22-752-2011 FAX: +81-22-752-2013
E-mail: irides-syomu@grp.tohoku.ac.jp

Public Relations Oﬃce

TEL: +81-22-752-2049
E-mail: koho-oﬃce@irides.tohoku.ac.jp

Katahira
Campus