25 Oct. 2023

Announcement of the Hamaguchi Award Laureates
Congratulations to the Three Awardees 2023!
The International Promotion Committee for Tsunami/Coastal Disaster Resilience
Technology is pleased to announce the following three awardees 2023 of the
Hamaguchi Award (Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Award).

Dr. ISOBE Masahiko, Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo/ Professor
Emeritus, Kochi University of Technology, Japan

Dr. Laura S.L. Kong, Director of International Tsunami Information Centre,
United States of America

Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN),
Republic of Chile[Attached Documents]
 Introduction of Awardees 2023 (Attachment 1)
 Introduction of Awardees 2016-2022 (Attachment 2)

Attachment 1

Hamaguchi Award 2023
Introduction of Awardees
Dr. ISOBE Masahiko, Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo/ Professor Emeritus,
Kochi University of Technology, Japan
Dr. Isobe has developed innovative analysis methods for water waves theoretically, such as
the estimation of directional spectrum of ocean waves and numerical simulation of nonlinear
waves, and has published many excellent research results in the field of coastal engineering
related to coastal disaster prevention. Through research works on impact assessment ofclimate change and sea level rise, he took the lead in editing the book “Coastal Impacts of
Global Warming - Actual Status, Impacts, and Response Strategies of Sea Level Rise andClimate Change.” and served as chair and committee member of many governmental
committees for disaster prevention and mitigation. In particular, he greatly contributed torevise the Coast Law and introduce resilient coastal structures based on the lessons learned
from the damage to ports and coasts caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake Tsunami,
and further to make policy decisions on disaster prevention and mitigation measures for
Nankai Trough earthquake.

Dr. Laura S.L. Kong, Director of International Tsunami Information Centre, USA
Dr. Laura Kong has been the Director of the International Tsunami Information
Center (ITIC) since 2001 and, as Director, she oversees a Centre that supports theIntergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in its efforts to deploy tsunami
warning and mitigation systems globally, and that works directly with the 46-nation
Intergovernmental Co-ordination Group for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and
Mitigation System (ICG/PTWS) to strengthen national tsunami warnings andpreparedness. In this capacity, the ITIC works closely with the USA Pacific Tsunami
Warning Center, the Japan Meteorological Agency, and other international andnational tsunami warnings centers. The ITIC is a joint partnership between the IOC
and the USA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Since the 2004
Indian Ocean tsunami, Dr. Kong has been actively involved as part of the IOC’s
coordination and development of systems in the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean andadjacent regions, and Mediterranean Seas and the north Atlantic Ocean.

Research Center for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (CIGIDEN), Republic of Chile
CIGIDEN has been pivotal in overcoming the large deficits that Chile had before the2010 Maule Earthquake in tsunami science, engineering and technology since it wasestablished in 2012. The Center has contributed to increasing the number of
specialists and researchers. It has fostered the emergence of a strong community intsunami science in Chile, with a recognized international leadership, that has madeimportant contributions ranging from fundamental physics and hydrodynamics, early
warning systems, urban planning and tsunami evacuation, education and awareness,in collaboration with national and international peers, and relevant stakeholders. It
has also contributed significantly to develop the state-of-the-art tsunami warning
system operated by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service of the Chilean Navy
while also supporting the National Disaster Risk Management Service. The Centerhas developed initial guidelines for vertical evacuation, tsunami hazard assessment,
among others. CIGIDEN has become an essential actor not only in scientific terms,
but also in transferring this science effectively to the public at large.

Attachment 2

Introduction of Awardees (2016)
Prof. Nobuo Shuto: Emeritus Professor of Tohoku University, Japan; Professor of Nihon
University, Japan
Professor Nobuo Shuto established a tsunami numerical model to predict tsunami
characteristics and behaviors in the nearshore zone. He led the TIME (Tsunami
Inundation Modeling Exchange) project supported by UNESCO Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and made the numerical model of Tohoku
University accessible without fees. His numerical model became the standard for
UNESCO/IOC, and was transferred to 24 countries and 52 organizations, including
the United States, Korea, Turkey, and Mexico. He also contributes to thequantification of tsunami damage based on post-tsunami field surveys. In the recovery
process from the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake, a combination of his numerical model andhis method of damage estimation is being utilized to guide the optimal siting ofresidential zones as well as the structural requirements for residential buildings. He
was awarded the International Coastal Engineering Award given by the American
Society of Civil Engineers and the Japan Academy Prize for “Comprehensive researchon tsunami hazard mitigation.”

Dr. Eddie Bernard: Former Director of NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory,USA
Dr. Eddie Bernard, who served as the founding chair of the U.S. National Tsunami
Hazard Mitigation Program, made significant contributions to the development of thetsunami detection and flooding forecast system in use in the United States and along
the Pacific Rim. These flooding forecasts are based on real-time data obtained by
DART buoys, which accurately measure tsunamis in the deep sea and transmit thesedata thorough satellites to tsunami warning centers. Deep sea tsunami data are thenassimilated into numerical models that forecast flooding before tsunami arrival. Afterthe 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the system was expanded to the Indian Ocean and
the Caribbean Sea and became the worldwide standard of the tsunami warning
system. He was awarded a Service to America Medal(2008) and the Department ofCommerce Gold Medal(2005) for his work in establishing an international tsunami
detection and forecast system and a U.S. tsunami mitigation program.

National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI ),Republic of Chile
When a massive tsunami hit Chilean coasts in 2010, tsunami warning was notproperly issued because of miscommunication among the three agencies responsible
for earthquake monitoring, tsunami forecasting and issuance of warning. Therefore,
ONEMI unified the roles of the three organizations, developed a simplified protocol
and successfully made the tsunami warning system prompt and reliable. They also
conducted tsunami evacuation drills including that at night with the participation of
60,000 people. As a result, the preparation activity for disaster mitigation in Chile wasdrastically improved. When another large tsunami attacked Chilean coasts in 2015, a
regional office of ONEMI issued an order of preventative evacuation 8 minutes after
the earthquake occurrence and the ONEMI head office released a warning 2 minutes
later. These actions resulted in that 97 percent of residents in the coastal area of the
fourth region of Chile (~ 60,000 people) evacuated to safety zones. Such highpercentage of evacuation contributed to the reduction of human losIntroduction of Awardees (2017)

Attachment 2

Prof. Philip Li-Fan Liu: Vice President (Research and Technology) and Distinguished
Professor, National University of Singapore; Class of 1912 Professor in Engineering,Emeritus, Cornell University, USA
Prof. Philip Li-Fan Liu, who coordinated National Science Foundation (USA)sponsored tsunami research programs that involved several institutions in 1990s and2000s, made significant contributions in fundamental understanding of tsunami
generation, propagation and coastal effects. His numerical model, COMCOT, has been
employed in many countries for developing tsunami warning system and inundation
maps, and assessing tsunami damage. He has also taken leadership role in organizing
several post-tsunami field studies, including the 1992 Flores Island (Indonesia)
tsunami and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. In recent years, he has been promoting
tsunami research by organizing annual South China Sea Tsunami Workshops,
providing a forum for researchers in the South China Sea region to exchange
knowledge and experience, and to develop the tsunami hazard mitigation program.
In 2015 he was elected as a Member of National Academy of Engineering (USA) for“coastal engineering research, education, computer modeling, and leadership fortsunami and wave damage”.

Prof. Julio Kuroiwa: Professor Emeritus National University of Engineering (UNI) Lima
– Peru, and Director and General Manager of Disaster Risk Reduction Peru International
SAC, Republic of Peru
Prof. Kuroiwa, as a consultant of the UN and governments, developed plans to
reduce tsunami disasters in Tumaco, Colombia; Salinas, Ecuador; and thesouthwest coast of Peru. Buildings were protected from tsunami forces andfoundation erosion. The Disaster Risk Reduction Management (DRRM) proposedby him became Peru’s National Policy No. 32 in 2010, and now all engineering
projects are required to have the DRRM component. From 2012 to date he has
participated as a consultant in a number of important projects for reducing tsunami
impacts on buildings, infrastructures, and cities, such as the Terminal Station ofLima - Callao Subway No. 2 and the tunnel under the new runway of Lima
International Airport located near the seashore. He received the UN Sasakawa
Award for Disaster Prevention for “Active efforts in reducing disaster risk in theircommunities and advocates for disaster risk reduction.”

Kuroshio Town (Kochi prefecture), Japan
Kuroshio town is estimated to be possibly hit by a 34.4-meter-height tsunami that is the
maximum height in Japan as the aftermath of Nankai megathrust earthquakes. The
town has launched a slogan “confronting the Nankai megathrust earthquake andforming the Japan’s best town that goes out with earthquakes and tsunamis.” Under
the slogan, detailed tsunami disaster prevention activities, such as the construction ofevacuation towers and the preparation of evacuation plans for each houshold, improved
its inhabitants’ awareness of disaster preparedness. The town played a frontrunner indisaster prevention strategy for local administrations in Japan. A canning plantcompany as a semi-public joint venture company which makes products from local foodsin consideration of both promoting disaster prevention and community revitalization
should be specially mentioned. In addition, the town delivered lectures to propagate andeducate disaster prevention both domestically and internationally, and hosted HighSchool Students Summit on World Tsunami Awareness Day in Kuroshio with Kochi
Prefectural Government.

Attachment 2

Introduction of Awardees (2018)
Prof. Hajime Mase: Professor Emeritus / Research Professor, Kyoto University, Japan
Professor Hajime Mase has been conducted research on coastal hazard modeling andrisk reduction over the past 39 years. He published more than 500 papers both inEnglish and Japanese, and his research achievement is well known over the world.
He developed real-time tsunami prediction methodology using offshore buoy network.
It established scientific framework of tsunami source inversion and arrival time
estimation to land. He has been also developed movable tsunami/storm surge barrierso-called “flap-type gate”, which is an automatic watertight wall working by buoyancyof the inundation water without powered machineries, remote control and humanoperations. Since the installation at a port in Tokushima Prefecture, the developed
gates have been installed nationwide. In addition, he has developed a numerical storm
surge and wave coupling model, which has been used for assessment of extreme storm
surges in Japan, including estimation of the maximum storm surge heights for major
three bays, Tokyo, Osaka and Ise (Nagoya) in Japan under present and future climate
conditions.

Prof. Harry Yeh: Professor, School of Civil and Construction Engineering, Oregon State
University, USA
Professor Yeh has investigated complex phenomena in tsunamis running onto
beaches through laboratory experiments and theoretical approaches, and also
investigated actual tsunami damage through his extensive field studies. His
research outcomes have significant impacts not only to the academic advances intsunami hydrodynamics but also the development of the guidelines and the software.
He took a role as the lead contributor for the development of the “Guidelines for
Design of Structures for Vertical Evacuation from Tsunamis” by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He also played a prime role in thedevelopment of FEMA’s software for tsunami-risk-informed decision making(HAZUS Tsunami Model). At the local level, he also supported and contributed todevelop: 1) Evacuation strategies in Seaside, Oregon, 2) Design and assessment oftsunami evacuation building in Cannon Beach, Oregon, 3) Preliminary planning ofa tsunami evacuation buildings in Lincoln City, Oregon, and 4) Tsunami evacuationassessment for the Pacific County, Washington.

DONET Development Team, JapanDONET (Dense Oceanfloor Network system for Earthquakes and Tsunami), developedby the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, is the cable network
system, which has a total of 51 oceanfloor measurement points and observes the crustal
activities in the hypocentral region of the Tonankai and Nankai Earthquake on the
Nankai Trough. It is the world-first ocean floor observation network for accurate anddense observation in a wide area. When DONET detects an earthquake and tsunami,
tsunami arrival time and height, and inundation area on the coast are predicted
immediately using Tsunami data base. This system has been implemented and utilized
in Mie Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture, Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc., and Owase
City. In particular, the system built in Wakayama Prefectural Government can provide
the prediction results to the local governments in the prefecture and the local
governments can grasp respectively the risk of tsunami inundation in their areas. Also,
they developed the system of calling for tsunami evacuations by informing the coastal
residents the tsunami detection and inunadation by area mails, and further local
governments are considering the utilization of the system.

Introduction of Awardees (2019)

Attachment 2

Prof. Tomoya Shibayama: Professor, Waseda University; Professor Emeritus, Yokohama
National University, Japan
Prof. Tomoya Shibayama has been engaged in tsunami and storm surge disastermitigation studies for more than 40 years, through the use of hydraulic laboratory
experiments, field surveys and numerical simulations. He served as team leader ofpost-disaster survey teams for all major tsunami and storm surge events in the past
fifteen years, including the Indian Ocean Tsunami (2004), the Tohoku Tsunami(2011) or the Storm Surge due to Typhoon Haiyan (2013), amongst others. Over theyears, he has helped many international research teams to conduct such fieldsurveys, especially in developing countries, where he has conducted many of these
activities. In recent times he has delivered the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course)"Tsunamis and Storm Surges: Introduction to Coastal Disasters" from Edx. Throughthis course, he teaches the most advanced knowledge regarding coastal disasters tostudents throughout the world. Formerly, he was the Editor-in-Chief of Coastal
Engineering Journal (CEJ), the Chairman of Ocean Engineering Committee, JSCE
and the President of Japan Federation of Ocean Engineering Societies. He is now
serving as the President of Japan Association for Coastal Zone Studies.

Prof. Ahmet Cevdet Yalciner: Professor, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
Professor Ahmet Cevdet Yalciner from METU, Turkey is a distinguished researcher
actively studying on tsunami science since 1987. He has made valuable contributions
to tsunami science in terms of tsunami numerical modeling, increasing tsunami
awareness, preparedness, resilience, and development of mitigation strategies
through countless international scientific projects. He was selected as the Research
Fellow of Matsumae International Foundation of Japan in 1987, which provided agreat opportunity for him to study in Tohoku University under the supervision ofProf. Nobuo Shuto. He devoted not only his academic endeavors but also his life to
the protection of coastal communities against tsunamis, storm surges, and marine
induced hazards. He had led numerous post tsunami survey teams of UNESCO since2004 and chaired UNESCO-IOC NEAMTWS between 2013 and 2017. Several of his
research students are currently working in reputable universities and research
institutions on tsunami, storm surge and tropical cyclone modeling and assessment.
In brief, his academic studies and leadership are remarkable in tsunami research,
public awareness, and new engineering solutions on design of coastal structures.

Attachment 2

Introduction of Awardees(2020)
Prof. Fumihiko Imamura; Director, International Research Institute of Disaster Science,
Tohoku University; Professor, Tsunami Engineering, Japan
Professor Fumihiko Imamura conducted tsunami disaster risk reduction/mitigation
technology development, tsunami numerical analysis, and tsunami damage surveys forover 30 years. Currently, he plays internationally as the responsible person for the
Tsunami Inundation Modeling Exchange (TIME) project. In particular, he played aleader of the international emergent field survey teams since the 1992 Nicaragua
Earthquake Tsunami and later, and also gave advice on the field survey reports and therestoration from the damages. He published more than 150 academic papers on tsunami
in English and Japanese, a number of prefatory notes, and keynote papers. He also
supported and promoted disaster prevention awareness activities related to the World
Tsunami Awareness Day advocated by the United Nations, and contributed bypresenting world tsunami risk assessments for the past 400 years. He served as amember of the Central Disaster Prevention Council Special Investigation Committee,
the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake Reconstruction Initiative Council Study
Committee, and the Vice Chairperson of the International Geophysical Geodesy Society
Tsunami Committee. Since August 2019, he has been serving the representative director
of 3.11 Road Promotion Organization.

Prof. Costas Synolakis: Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Southern California,
USA and Greece
In the late 1980s, Prof. Synolakis published his seminal analytical solution for the runup ofsolitary waves on a sloping beach. This result is the well-known “runup law” for solitary waves.
He subsequently developed the theory for leading depression waves and showed that they
climb further on beaches than leading elevation waves. His legacy also includes thedevelopment of MOST (Method Of Splitting Tsunami) model, developed with his students,
which is now the standard operational tsunami inundation model for the tsunami warning
centers at NOAA and National Weather Service, and employed world-wide. In the past decade,Prof. Synolakis and his group have organized or led in field expeditions to Flores, Indonesia,
1992, Java and Mindoro, 1994, Manzanillo, 1995, Papua New Guinea, 1998, Vanuatu, 1999,
Sri Lanka, Maldives and Kenya, 2004, Java, 2006, Samoa 2009, Chile and Mentawais, 2010,
Japan, 2011, Ventura, 2015, Palu, 2018, Krakatoa, 2019. These have resulted in 31 fieldreports and have also led to identifying previously unrecognized tsunami amplification
phenomena. These results have now altered public policy on protection from tsunamis. In
addition to educating and inspiring a generation of coastal engineers, Prof. Synolakis is themost articulate advocate of public literacy on tsunamis by publishing more than 25 editorials
and hundreds of interviews in international outlets such as CNN, BBC, WSJ, NYTimes andWashington Post and others.

Aceh Tsunami Museum, Indonesia
The Aceh Tsunami Museum is established as a symbolic reminder of the earthquake
and tsunami Indian Ocean 2004, as well as an educational center for disastermitigation. It received the Indonesia Museum Award 2018 out of 400 museums inIndonesia. Its most important roles are to pass disaster experiences in the 2004
tsunami down to the next generation, to widely spread lessons learned fromearthquake and tsunami disasters, and to prepare for future disasters. It has provided
many of temporally exhibitions, workshops and events, and attracts many visitors
including teenagers and foreigners. The number of visitors ranges between 2,0003,000 on weekdays and can reach 6,000 on weekends. It has worked hard to educate
younger generation who does not know much about the disaster. Disaster mitigation
campaigners from 600 junior high schools have been assembling to provide education
on disaster preparedness. The museum is also in charge of an evacuation center. It is
designed as an evacuation hill in anticipation of future tsunami hazards.

Introduction of Awardees (2021)

Attachment 2

Prof. Hideo Matsutomi: Emeritus Professor of Akita University, Japan; Affiliate Professor
of Research and Development Initiative, Chuo University, Japan
Prof. Matsutomi has been conducting research on tsunamis behaviors for many years.
He played a member of the Tsunami Committee of the International Union of Geodesy
and Geophysics from 1995, assumed as a member of the Architectural Institute ofJapan Tsunami Load Subcommittee, and proposed the estimating equations on flood
speed and drifting object force. He established the Research Center for Potential
Development of Disaster Prevention at Akita University. In addition, he assumed asa river counselor of the Tohoku Regional Development Bureau, the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan and contributed to tsunami and floodmeasures. He assumed as the Disaster Prevention Advisor of Oga City, Akita, Japan,
and contributed to the regional program for disaster damage reduction. In recognitionof these achievements, he received “Tohoku Branch Achievement Award, the Japan
Society of Civil Engineers” at the ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of
the establishment of Tohoku Branch in 2017.

Dr. Gerassimos A. Papadopoulos: Chair of the International Society for the Prevention and
Mitigation of Natural Hazards; Former Research Director of the National Observatory ofAthens, Greece
Dr. Papadopoulos is a famous researcher worldwide in tsunami science and for hisachievements in tsunami risk awareness and mitigation actions. He has establishedclose collaboration with many countries. He studied, among others, at the National
Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, Japan, in 1993 supported by theJapanese-German Center Berlin, contributed to the tsunami intensity scale with the
Tohoku University in 2001, and was a visiting professor at the same university in 2004.
He is one of the key scientists in the tsunami field in the European-Mediterranean
region. He has also 25-year-long collaboration experience with Japanese and otherscientists, which enabled him to publish in scientific journals with them about 15
papers out of his 150 scientific papers. His efforts contributed also to the increase ofawareness against tsunami risk not only in Greece but also at an international level.
He was a co-founder of the UNESCO/IOC/NEAMTWS and chaired it from 2017 to2020, successfully governing the tsunami warning system in the frame of
IOC/UNESCO.

Pacific Tsunami Museum, USA
The Pacific Tsunami Museum was established in 1994 and is one of the oldest tsunami
museums in the world. The museum was created to educate the public about thedevastation caused by the 1946 Aleutian and 1960 Chilean tsunamis, so that thedevastation would not fade away and be passed on to future generations. Throughout
its quarter-century history, the museum was tireless in its efforts to educate residents
and visitors about the dangers of tsunamis. The month of April, when the Aleutianearthquake and tsunami struck, was designated as Tsunami Awareness Month, andin 2021, the museum promoted basic knowledge of tsunami warnings, disseminatedevacuation maps, and worked with residents to identify safe evacuation sites. In thisway, the Pacific Tsunami Museum made great contribution to tsunami disasterprevention activities as a pioneer organization to pass on the lessons of tsunami
disaster to future generations.

Attachment 2

Introduction of Awardees (2022)
Prof. Kenji Satake; Director, Earthquake Research Institute, The University of Tokyo,
Japan
Prof. Satake has created and developed a method to analyze the scale of past earthquakes
and tsunamis and the cycles of large earthquakes with long intervals by comparing andmatching waveform data, historical data, distribution of tsunami deposits, and the results oftsunami simulations based on fault movement. The results of this analysis are being used to
set the largest possible earthquakes and tsunamis, to create hazard maps, and to design
facilities and strengthen countermeasures for disaster-resistant urban development.
Furthermore, he has made various important contributions to the academic and practicalprogress of earthquake and tsunami disaster prevention in Japan and abroad as thechairperson of the Japan Meteorological Agency's technical advisory panel on tsunami
forecasting, as a member of the committee on giant earthquake models, including thosegenerated in the Nankai Trough, and as the chairperson of the Tsunami Commission of theInternational Union of Geodesy and Geophysics.

Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction, School of Natural and Physical Sciences, The
University of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea
The 1998 Aitape earthquake and tsunami caused huge damage and the issues for enhancing
disaster preparedness, response and recovery arised. In commemorating 20 years of operation
to improve disaster awareness and preparedness in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific region,
Centre for Disaster Risk Reduction, the University of Papua New Guinea, has established andproven to be an essential entity that has successfully delivered countless teaching, research andawareness activities at both national and international level and continues to strive for lasting
community outcomes. Geology and Disaster Reduction course is now offered in a 13-week(semester long) study program, which teaches the basics of disaster preparedness andmitigation, including foundation geology and natural and human-induced disasters. Researchand publications on tsunami and other natural hazards in Papua New Guinea and neighboring
countries are well evaluated to be significant.

O. H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, College of Engineering, Oregon State
University, USA
The O.H. Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory, established in 1972, is a state-of-theart Center conducting both applied and fundamental research to address ocean,
coastal and nearshore processes via physical model experiments. As a shared-use
facility, the Hinsdale Wave Research Laboratory provides access to researchers acrossthe US and internationally through collaborative projects supported by the US
National Science Foundation since 2002. HWRL makes learning and discovery
possible. With two large-scale experimental facilities, investigators are able to perform
physical model testing of coastal systems subject to the action of tsunamis, waves,
and/or storm surge. A large variety of projects have been carried out at the Laboratory
including tsunami generation, wave propagation, wave-structure interaction, stabilityof coastal structures, beach erosion, offshore structures, bio-fouling, floating
structures, and testing of renewable energy devices. In 50 years of operation, the
HWRL have conducted around 300 research projects, and have published more than
320 papers in peer reviewed journals and international conferences.