Research Mission 

アジアにおける自然を活かした沿岸域防災技術の創出と実践

• 津波・高潮・侵食被害など、主として沿岸域における災害を対象に、工学的かつ課題解決型のアプローチに基づき、人々の命や生活の基盤を一瞬で奪い去る災害の脅威を軽減し、沿岸域の健全な発展に寄与するための研究に取り組みます。

• 日本をはじめとするアジア諸国の防災基盤の向上に貢献する研究を行います。特に、資金・資源・情報が十分に整っていない途上国において、役立つ防災技術を創出することを目指します。

• マングローブなど植物を活用した海岸堤防や潮位差発電機能をもつ防潮堤など、防災に新たな価値を付加することで、社会実装へとつながる研究を推進します。

• 災害や気候変動のリスクを過度に煽るような研究は厳に慎み、流行のキーワードに流されることなく、何が本質的な課題であるのかを現場の視点から検証し、具体的な対策を提案します。

• 前例にとらわれず、知恵と知識を最大限に活用し、世界の舞台でトップレベルの研究を目指します。

Coastal Disaster Mitigation through a Transdisciplinary Approach

Our research aims to develop novel disaster mitigation technologies, with a focus on coastal hazards such as tsunamis, storm surges, and coastal erosion. Disaster prevention research in the 20th century was largely a single, goal-oriented discipline focused solely on reducing damage from disasters. However, as we approach the mid-21st century, the role of disaster research should expand to leverage investments in disaster mitigation to generate broader social and economic benefits.

For example, coastal vegetation such as mangroves can be actively utilized to improve the natural environment while simultaneously enhancing disaster mitigation functions and reducing the maintenance requirements of existing coastal infrastructure. Similarly, large floodgates could be adapted to generate tidal power, supplying renewable electricity to local communities. Unconstrained by precedent, we fully utilize our experience and expertise to pursue innovative, world-class research on coastal disaster mitigation.

Coastal Disaster Research for Asian Countries

Coastal disasters such as tsunamis, storm surges, and high waves cause substantial loss of human life and property. The vulnerability of coastal areas to natural disasters is expected to increase due to economic development as well as climate and environmental changes. This is particularly true for developing coastal regions in many Asian countries, where a large proportion of the population depends heavily on low-lying and vulnerable coastal areas.

Our research team seeks to identify and understand the factors that exacerbate coastal disaster risks, especially in developing countries, through a combination of field surveys, numerical simulations, and physical experiments.