EFFORTS OF EARTHQUAKE DISASTER MITIGATION USING EARTHQUAKE EARLY WARNING IN JAPAN

摘要

In Japan MEXT, NIED, JMA and NGOs (JWA and REIC) cooperated to develop an earthquake early warning (EEW) system of the general use, for mitigating earthquake disasters during 2003-2007. Data are from the network of JMA and the network (Hi-net) of NIED. Those data are collected in real-time with small transmission delay and analyzed by the system developed by NIED and JMA. Present information officially issued from JMA has seismic focal parameters and estimated strength of seismic motions at chosen place of sites. REIC and JWA have taken charge of R/D of application system and social response, respectively.Once earthquakes occur, the focal parameters are calculated as quickly as enough number of observation sites sense seismic waves. EEW are transmitted generally in several seconds after detecting seismic signal at the nearest sites. The disseminated parameters can be used by any people and organizations. REIC and its members developed special application systems to help various countermeasures including automated and/or semi-automated responses. These systems estimate specific information for particular users at particular site for triggering the systems. Now we have developed 14 kinds of application systems. From October 1, 2007 EEW has been in the practical utilization: the general use by broadcasting companies (TV, radio, and mobile phone) and contracted use by private companies and REIC using special application instruments. The systems have been gradually adopted for earthquake disaster mitigation.