Efforts of the Disaster Prevention Research Laboratory

The Disaster Prevention Research Laboratory is conducting research and development (R&D) in “methods of observing and detecting natural phenomena,” “clarifying mechanisms by which disasters occur and methods of assessing their risk,” and “proposing disaster prevention measures and establishing technical standards,” with the aim of preventing railway accidents due to natural phenomena. This article covers the circumstances surrounding disaster prevention for railways and introduces past and present research of the Disaster Prevention Research Laboratory on building a railway capable of withstanding natural disasters.