Specially Appointed Professor

Further information
詳細はこちら

In order to reduce losses from disasters, the most important thing is to make efforts to minimize disaster risks on a daily basis.  Though it is important to enhance the disaster response and adaptation capacity of individuals and communities against disaster, structural measures as the whole society should play the greatest role in the developing countries.  In Japan and other developed countries, historical accumulation of disaster risk reduction investment against high-frequency and low-intensity hazard exposures is considerable.  However, many developing countries have entered a period of rapid economic growth without either historical or simultaneous proper disaster risk reduction efforts, and such gap has been expanded further in the development.  During over 28 years of practical experience working for JICA's development programs and projects before joining Tohoku University, I have seen such dilemma everywhere in the developing countries.  Therefore, the biggest research and education challenge is to steadily correct this situation, even with small increments.  I would like to establish a methodology and logic for that purpose.

Specially Appointed Professor

Further information
詳細はこちら

Water is the most abundant substance on the earth, the principal constituent of all living things, and a major force constantly shaping the surface of the earth. It is also a key factor in air-conditioning the earth for human existence and in influencing the progress of civilization. Changes in the distribution, circulation, or temperature of the earth’s waters can have far-reaching effects; the ice ages, for instance, were a manifestation of such effects. Changes may be caused by human activities, in particular, since the latter half of the 20th century. People cultivate the soil, irrigate crops, fertilize the land, clear forests, pump groundwater, build dams, dump wastes into rivers and lakes, and do many other constructive or destructive things that affect the circulation and quality of water in nature. Besides, an expanding population and a rapidly growing economy especially in Asia and Africa are hindering sustainability on the globe.

Our studies and challenges have been focused on solving the world water issuers by understanding water circulation, along with the following subjects: (1) Impact assessment on the hydrological change under the changing climate and the land use change at a global and local scale; (2) Mechanism of slope failure and wood debris by torrential rains; (3) Socio-hydrology: trade-offs between urban flood resilience and urbanisation; (4) Numerical study on water pollution in the inundation areas; (5) Long-term heat, vapour and carbon dioxide fluxes observation for an impact assessment on the interaction between land and atmosphere. 

Furthermore, the following inter-/trans-disciplinary research has been focused on achieving local sustainability: (6) Understanding requirements for sustainability of community-based programs; (7) Value-based co-creation of technology and lifestyle for a society based on a virtuous materials cycle.