About

Fifteen years after the disaster, we now face new challenges: fading memories of the disaster or the challenge of passing on its lessons; deterioration of social infrastructure; and a shrinking, aging population. In addition, future national crises are unavoidable, including the imminent threat of massive disasters such as the Nankai Trough earthquake and a major earthquake beneath Tokyo, as well as the intensification of hazards due to climate change.

On the other hand, social transformation driven by technological innovation holds great potential to help address these challenges. The evolution and widespread adoption of AI, dramatic improvements in computing power and simulation technology (including quantum technology), advances in autonomous driving technology, the sophistication and increased autonomy of physical AI (robots), the development of resilient communication infrastructure, and the increasing functionality of personal devices—these technological innovations designed to help us overcome disasters are also an "inevitable future."

In this context, as Director of IRIDeS, I would like to launch the "AI for DR4 (Disaster Risk Reduction, Recovery, and Resilience)" project—an initiative aimed at creating new value in disaster science based on technological innovation and social transformation—and will drive it forward through collaboration among academia, industry, government, and the public. Through academia-industry collaboration with companies at the forefront of AI development in Japan, we will build foundational models, such as large language models (LLMs) and visual language models (VLMs), specialized for DRR. Through this, we aim to systematically learn lessons from past disasters, including historical records and reconstruction case studies, to derive preemptive DRR measures and reconstruction plans, thereby establishing an advanced inference framework that contributes to future disaster mitigation. Furthermore, using this initiative as a catalyst, we will actively encourage broad participation from research institutions within and outside Tohoku University, other universities, and companies to accelerate collaboration. We will advance the implementation of AI in disaster science and strive to develop it into Japan's first platform for the Joint Usage/Collaborative Research Center for comprehensive DRR knowledge through Data and AI.

We also view the period from 2026 to 2030 as a critical opportunity to dramatically expand our international collaboration. Specifically, Sendai will hold three major international conferences in 2027. At the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) to be held in the fall of 2027, Japan will showcase its DRR technologies and contribute to the post-Sendai Framework through collaboration with international organizations and other countries. Before this, in the spring, the Asia-Pacific Conference on Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction (APSTCDRR) will be held, and, in conjunction with the APMCDRR, we will hold World Bosai Forum 2027, inclusive of all stakeholders. Through these events, we will further promote the dissemination of Tohoku University’s comprehensive DRR knowledge and the formation of an international disaster science community.

Collaboration with a wide range of stakeholders is essential for the utilization and dissemination of comprehensive DRR knowledge. Building on our existing partnerships with municipalities affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience, and other universities and research institutions in Japan, we will strengthen our efforts for capacity building through the enhancement of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) Multi-Hazard Program and the Disaster Science Course of Tohoku University, as well as the establishment of Master of Public Administration (MPA) in the area of DRR. We will also strengthen DRR education and research through the Uehiro Disaster Risk Reduction Research Division, supported by the Uehiro Foundation on Ethics and Education since April 2025, while striving to further enhance our DRR exhibition facilities as an interface connecting the public and research.

Tohoku University is a "university that exists together with society," and IRIDeS is an "institute that exists together with society." Through collaboration with a diverse range of partners, we aim to become a hub for global disaster science, disseminating our knowledge outward as spokes from a wheel to contribute to the global circulation of knowledge. We thank you for your continued support and cooperation.