These activities greatly promote academic and personal exchanges which lead to further progress in landform studies and solutions of practical problems. Introduction to the Japanese Geomorphological Union Geomorphology was introduced into Japan from Europe with many other modern sciences about a hundred years ago. After the war, with the criticism on the Davisian theory the chronological study of landform development using tephra layers as time markers became active, and the study of geomorphological processes also started to develop. Both studies required the knowledge beyond the traditional geography, and many geomorphologists began to realize the necessity of investigating the variety of properties related to landform development by themselves. At the same time planning and development of more intensive land utilization demanded by the remarkable progress of economic activities enhanced the necessity of knowledge on land conditions and natural disasters.
Japan lies in a zone of tectonic and volcanic activities and it has much precipitation every year.
The landform change is rapid, and natural hazard related to landform changes has been serious concern of the people living on the densely populated Japanese islands. Geologists, geophysicist and geochemists as well as civil engineers, sabo engineers, and other disaster prevention engineers increasingly concerned with the problems of landform change. Geomorphology became expected to play an important role in the society. The union is a non-profit organization dedicated to the progress of the science of geomorphology, and its activities include publication of the quarterly Transactions, Japanese Geomorphological Union, holding regular meetings twice a year, and the sponsorship of symposiums or field excursions on special topics. The number of JGU members has been increasing every year, and it now counts about seven hundred including members in foreign countries.