IISEE NewsletterMay 31, 2023
Number 215

In This Issue• Completion of Group
Training and Start ofIndividual Study for
Annual TrainingProgram• Report on Tohoku
Study Trip
• Dr. Harsh K. Gupta
Receives IASPEIMedal• Country Training
from the Dominican
Republic• Introduction ofPersonal Changes• Greetings

International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering BRI Japan
1 Tachihara Tsukuba Japan 305-0802

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Completion of Group Training and Start ofIndividual Study for Annual Training Program
By Dr. Bunichiro Shibazaki, Director of IISEEThe group training program for the IISEE regular course for theacademic year 2022-2023 was completed on May 12. During thegroup training, participants spend about eight months attending
lectures and acquiring basic and applied knowledge in each field in
one of the following three courses (seismology, earthquake
engineering, and tsunami disaster mitigation). All participants in the2022-2023 course were able to come to Japan from the beginningof the program and have basically attended lectures face-to-face
A 4-day/3-night study trip to the Tohoku region was also organized
during the week of April 24. Participants in the Seismology andTsunami Disaster Mitigation courses attended two- or three-day
lectures at the Japan Meteorological Agency during the week of May
8. Participants of the earthquake engineering course visited theUniversity of Tsukuba Hospital to see the site of a seismic isolation
retrofit on May 12.
Now, the individual training program started on May 15, and threeparticipants stay in a distant place to receive individual training
instruction. We hope that all the participants will be able to obtain
useful research results for earthquake and tsunami disasterprevention in their home countries and earn a master's degree.
We would like to express our respect for the efforts of theparticipants and our sincere gratitude to all the lecturers.
Annual Training Course
https://iisee.kenken.go.jp/en/training/train/annual/Report on Tohoku Study Trip
By Hany Abuelnaga Amen Adam from Egypt (S-course)

IISEE Net andTraining
Synopsis Database
Bulletin Database
IISEE E-learning
IISEENETIISEE-UNESCO Lecture
NoteOn March 11, 2011, at 14:46 JST (5:46 GMT) large earthquake hit
the Tohoku region with a magnitude of around 9.0, making it oneof Japan's largest earthquakes ever recorded. I am very pleased
to get this opportunity to visit Fukushima and Miyagi prefectureson the study field trip with my classmates in S & E-Courses forfour days (April 24-27, 2023).
During this trip, we visited many places that witnessed thecatastrophe of the earthquake and accompanying tsunami andhow it affected them. We learned how the Japanese government
dealt with this disaster and how thousands of residents evacuatedfrom these stricken areas, and what happened after that from therehabilitation of these areas and the steps taken to reduce theimpact of such disasters on the future, such as building sidewalks
on sea coasts and evacuating areas near sea coasts that may be
more vulnerable to disaster than others. Among these areas wevisited during this trip is Arahama Elementary School, located in
the city of Sendai established in 1873 and located 700 m from thesea coast. We learned the children, teachers, and residents
escaped to the roof of the school to protect themselves from thetsunami waves that reached the height of the second floor until
they evacuated using helicopters. We also visited The Great East
Japan Earthquake and Nuclear Disaster Memorial Museum, amuseum dedicated to preserving the memory of the Great East
Japan Earthquake and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster that
occurred on March 11, 2011. It is located in Futaba town,
Fukushima Prefecture, one of the areas most affected by thedisaster. Finally, I would like to thank the IISEE staff, myclassmates in the S & E-courses and the JICA coordinator who
accompanied me on this trip.

Group Photo (S-course & E-course)By Nurul Nasuha binti Md Zin from Malaysia (E-course)

Earthquakes
Reports of Recent
Earthquakes
Utsu Catalog
Earthquake Catalog

The study trip to the Tohoku District in Japan was an emotionaland eye-opening experience that left a lasting impact on all of us.
Witnessing the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake andexploring the devastated areas made us realize the profoundmagnitude of the disaster and the immense loss suffered by thepeople. The lessons we learned from this experience areinvaluable.
The trip taught us the importance of empathy and support for
those affected by natural disasters. Seeing the haunting exhibits
and listening to the stories of survivors at the Miyagi 3.11
Tsunami Disaster Memorial Museum made us deeply empathizewith their pain and suffering. It reinforced the need forcompassion and assistance to help rebuild shattered lives.
Next, this study trip emphasized the significance of preparedness
and proactive measures. The earthquake-resistant design of theNHK Sendai Broadcasting Station and the sturdy construction ofArahama Elementary School showcased the importance of resilient
infrastructure. We realized the critical role of early warning
systems, effective evacuation protocols, and community unity inmitigating the impact of future disasters.
In conclusion, the study trip to the Tohoku District in Japan was aprofound and transformative experience. It taught us theimportance of empathy, support, preparedness, and learning frompast tragedies. It
inspired us tobecome advocates forproactive measuresand resilient
communities. Above
all, it reminded us of
the strength of thehuman spirit in theface of adversity andthe power of unity inovercoming
challenges.
At the Arahama Elementary School

By Malodali Joji Sakaraia from Fiji (T-course)
I would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you somuch to the JICA representatives (Mr. Taniguchi) and IISEE/BRIlecturers (Dr. Fujii and Dr. Tsuji) for such a wonderful experiencein guiding and teaching us during the study trip. All in all, for me
personally, it was a really good experience in learning, enjoying
the beautiful scenery, and also at the same time trying new foods.
The lecturers gave us great explanations during the trip. I wasable to see most of the places with my own eyes, whereas I only
watched the devastation caused by earthquakes and tsunamis inYouTube videos and previous lectures. It was also emotional aswell, looking at videos and listening to the stories of those whosurvived. I would like to express my condolences to families wholost their loved ones during this tragedy.
It is also the first time for me to try on activities we learned inclass, like taking soil samples of places inundated by the tsunami
using a peat sampler. The second one was the measurement of
the tsunami run-up height using a laser distance meter. Theseactivities were beneficial since they will be more applicable to mydaily work when I return.
To sum up, this trip
was eye-opening andinformative, and I
enjoyed every single
day of it. I mustcomment on thisgreat initiative inallowing participants
to observe thedestruction that canbe caused by these
two natural disasters,
Group Photo (T-course)
namely earthquakes
and tsunamis.

Dr. Harsh K. Gupta Receives IASPEI Medal
By Dr. Bunichiro Shibazaki, Director of IISEE
We have received notification that an ex-participant Dr. Harsh K.
Gupta will receive the IASPEI Medal. He will receive the IASPEI
Medal this year during the IUGG GA scheduled in Berlin in July
2023.
Please see the IASPEI Newsletter for more details.
http://iaspei.org/newsletters/2020-2029 (2023 April)“The IASPEI (the International Association of Seismology andPhysics of the Earth's Interior) medal is awarded for merits inseismology: for sustaining IASPEI goals and activities and forscientific merits in the field of seismology and physics of theEarth's interior.”

Enjoy, Now

Dr. Harsh K. Gupta is a former participant who attended the 19661967 annual training course and the advanced course inSeismology in 1971.
He held multiple significant positions throughout his distinguishedcareer, including serving as the Director of the National
Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad for nearly adecade from 1992.
He also served as a Member of the National Disaster Management
Authority of India (Status: Minister of State, Government of India,2011-2014), Secretary to the Government of India in theDepartment of Ocean Development (2001-2005), Director of NGRI
(1992-2001), and Advisor to the Department of Science andTechnology, Government of India (1990-1992).
Dr. Gupta's expertise extended globally as he acted as an
Advisor/Consultant to UNESCO, the Commonwealth Science
Council, the International Atomic Energy Authority, ICSU, andother organizations.
In 1986, Dr. Gupta successfully forecasted a medium-term
earthquake of magnitude M~8 in the northeast region of India,
which occurred on August 6, 1988. Moreover, he chaired theSteering Committee of the Global Seismic Hazard Assessment
Program (G-SHAP) from 1992 to 1999. Notably, Dr. Gupta
conducted detailed studies on the genesis of triggered
earthquakes in the Koyna region and achieved successful shortterm earthquake forecasts. One of his remarkable achievements
was the establishment of India's tsunami warning system within
an incredibly short span of 30 months following the devastating
Mw 9.3 Sumatra earthquake and subsequent tsunami inDecember 2004. The Indian tsunami warning system, a result ofDr. Gupta's leadership, is now recognized as one of the best
globally.
The IISEE staff extends its sincere congratulations to him on
receiving the IASPEI medal.

Country Training from the Dominican Republic
By Mr. Takahiro Yamada, Head of Administration Division, IISEEOn Wednesday, May 10, wewere visited by a country
training from the Dominican
Republic mediated by theInternational Affairs Sectionof the Planning Department,
BRI.
We received a total of 17
visitors: 5 from the National
Office of Seismic andOpening address by Dr. Fukuyama

Vulnerability Assessment of Infrastructures and Buildings, 1 from
the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, 2 from theMinistry of Public Works and Communications, 2 from Ministry of
Housing and Construction, 1 from Ministry of Public Health, 1 fromNational Seismology Center, 1 from Ministry of Civil Defense, 1from National Geological Survey, 1 from Dominican Society ofSeismology and Earthquake Engineering and two interpreters.
The visit began with an opening address by Dr. Fukuyama, Vice
President of the Building Research Institute, and a lecture on abuilding vulnerability assessment, training guidance, a Q&A
session, and a hardship story from the Dominican Republic.
Contact Us
The lecture on a building vulnerability assessment was given byThe IISEE Newsletter is Dr. Azuhata, Director of the Department of Structural Engineering,intended to act as a go- and the training guidance was provided by Dr. Shibazaki, Director
between for IISEE andof the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake
ex-participants.
Engineering.
We encourage you tocontribute a report andan article to this newsletter. Please let us
know your current
activities in yourcountries.
We also welcome yourco-workers and friends
to register our mailinglist.
iiseenews@kenken.go.jp
https://iisee.kenken.go.jp/en/

The lecture on a building
vulnerability assessment
by Dr. Azuhata

The training guidanceby Dr. Shibazaki

Introduction of Personal Changes
By Mr. Takahiro Yamada, Head of Administration Division, IISEEAs of March 31, Dr. Haruhiko Suwada, the Senior ResearchEngineer of IISEE, resigned and move to architecture, SHINSHU
University as a professor and Mr. Yohei Yamada, administrative oftraining and general affairs, administration division of IISEEtransferred to the public works research institute.
As of April 3, Mr. Ryo Onozuka was hired and assigned toAdministrative of Training and General Affairs, Administration
Division of IISEE.

Greetings
By Mr. Ryo Onozuka, Administrative of Training and General
Affairs, Administration Division of IISEEBack Numbers
https://iisee.kenken.go.jp/en/newsletter/

My name is Ryo Onozuka, started
working at IISEE since this April,commuting from Tsukuba City,
Ibaraki Prefecture.
My hobbies are traveling, camping,sports, and cycling. I especiallylike baseball. I hope to have many
conversations with you all.
I am very anxious about my job
because there are many things I don't understand, but witheveryone's support, I am able to do my job. I will do my best tolearn the jobs quickly and be of assistance to everyone.