MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATIONPUBLIC RELATIONS DIVISION
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No. 3244

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Mitsubishi Electric Develops Enhanced Tsunami Detection Technology
Will contribute to earlier and more accurate detection of tsunamis and facilitate timely evacuation
TOKYO, January 25, 2019 – Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it hasdeveloped an high-frequency ocean surface radar technology that provides detailed measurement of tsunami
sea levels, allowing more accurate and timely detection of the multiple wave-fronts of tsunamis. Thetechnology is able to correctly detect tsunamis with an false alarm rate as low as 0.1 percent and estimate sea
levels to within 50 centimeters*, an improvement over 1m accuracy of conventional technology, enablingearlier and more accurate estimation of the scale of a tsunami, thereby facilitating timely evacuation and theminimization of casualties. Going forward, the company will continue to develop the technology together withuniversities, aiming at commercialization by the year 2025.
* if measurement range of the radar is below 50 kilometers. The performance depends on measurement conditions such as thestate of the sea and others

High-frequency ocean surface radars of the kind supplied by Mitsubishi Electric since 1999 are designed tomonitor ordinary ocean currents, but cannot detect tsunamis. Following the Great East Japan Earthquake ofMarch 11, 2011, which triggered a massive, deadly tsunami, it was reported that the tsunami had actually been
detected by oceanographic radar. As a result, Mitsubishi Electric began working on tsunami multiple wavefront detection technology using high-frequency ocean surface radar. The company hopes that its enhanced
technology will help minimize any further loss of life resulting from tsunamis.

Tsunami occurrence condition

Conventional method

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Proposed method(Mitsubishi Electric simulation)

According to the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, oceanographic radar can observe ocean surface currents up
50 kilometers offshore. Tsunamis can reach a speed of 98km/h at a tilted sea depth of 300 meters, so a tsunami
50 kilometers offshore can reach the coast in 30 minutes. The Urban Renaissance Agency has determined thata 10-minute early warning is required to successfully evacuate most coastal communities threatened by anapproaching tsunami.
Mitsubishi Electric initially developed the world’s first high frequency ocean surface radar offering enhanced
tsunami monitoring accuracy, as announced in February 2015.** The technology has now been further
enhanced, allowing it to detect a tsunami’s multiple wave-fronts by measuring the velocity of the ocean surface
and to accurately estimate sea levels using high-frequency ocean surface radar technology.
** Mitsubishi Electric's New Technologies Enhance Tsunami Radar Monitoring
http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/news/2015/0217-e.html (February 17, 2015)

Mitsubishi Electric’s technology improves the accuracy of tsunami detection by focusing on thecharacteristics of tsunami in regions with high flow velocity wave fronts. Using a proprietary algorithm itestimates the wave-front characteristics of the tsunami referencing a number of potential types and is thereby
able to estimate the direction of travel. It also estimates the height of the tsunami from the collected Doppler
velocities of wave-front data. This allows to detect tsunamis with an false alarm rate as low as 0.1 percent andimproves the accuracy of tsunami sea level estimates to within 50 centimeters, an improvement over 1maccuracy of conventional technology, and enables earlier and more accurate estimation of the scale of a tsunami.
The deployment of high-frequency radio waves of the kind used for oceanographic radar enables information
to be collected in areas extending more than 20 kilometers offshore. Conventional radar methods using
microwaves and buoys are limited to line of sight because of the earth’s curvature.
Patents
Pending patents in this news release number one in Japan and one outside of Japan.
Patents in this news release number four in Japan and four outside of Japan.
###About Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
With nearly 100 years of experience in providing reliable, high-quality products, Mitsubishi ElectricCorporation (TOKYO: 6503) is a recognized world leader in the manufacture, marketing and sales of electricaland electronic equipment used in information processing and communications, space development and satellite
communications, consumer electronics, industrial technology, energy, transportation and building equipment.
Embracing the spirit of its corporate statement, Changes for the Better, and its environmental statement, EcoChanges, Mitsubishi Electric endeavors to be a global, leading green company, enriching society withtechnology. The company recorded consolidated group sales of 4,444.4 billion yen (in accordance with IFRS;
US$ 41.9 billion*) in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information visit:
www.MitsubishiElectric.com*At an exchange rate of 106 yen to the US dollar, the rate given by the Tokyo Foreign Exchange Market on
March 31, 20182/2