BOSAI: Science that Can Save Your Life

Climate change is causing heavy rainfalls, emergencies that force dams to release water. This episode looks at dam upgrades being made in response.

Robots are garnering attention for their potential in disaster areas. We'll look at the cutting-edge initiatives aimed at further advancing the application of disaster response robots.

A major Tokyo quake could leave many stranded in Marunouchi, one of Japan's leading business districts. We'll examine its vast energy network protecting people from disasters and power outages.

Bear encounters are happening more frequently all over Japan. We'll look at new technologies to reduce the danger they pose, such as GPS tracking and an AI model that predicts bear encounters.

Japan is one of the most volcanically active nations. Its world-leading research on volcanic disasters has led to new technologies to track underground magma and predict phreatic eruptions.

From protecting valuable ceramics to reinforcing World Heritage structures, we'll see how the latest disaster preparedness technology is safeguarding Japan's irreplaceable cultural properties.

A Nankai Trough megaquake is expected to cause severe damage. In this episode, we will examine how Japan is preparing for this impending disaster with cutting-edge technology.

Explore how Japan uses artificial satellites and surface observation to quickly assess flood and earthquake damage, supporting disaster preparedness.

Disaster training is advancing with digital technology. See how AR/VR technology is helping participants gain realistic experience about the movement of smoke in fires and the risks of a tsunami.

Massive logistics facilities underpin online retail, but their robust warehouse structures, state-of-the-art seismic isolation systems and other features make them suitable as evacuation sites too.

In summer, accidents near the beach are a constant occurrence. But new technologies using smart devices are helping to prevent disaster in Japan.

The historic city of Kyoto faces threats of landslides and post-earthquake fires. What modern systems defend this ancient city from natural disasters?

Over 15,000 pets lost their lives in the 2011 quake. Discover how smart collars and instant shelter units are changing pet safety during emergencies.

Tokyo Skytree, one of Japan's most famous tourist attractions, is equipped with a variety of countermeasures against disasters. We'll go behind the scenes to explore the tower's advanced technologies.

Shibuya is one of Japan's most famous tourist spots, but the low-lying city is also at risk of flooding and earthquakes. We'll look at Shibuya's advanced efforts to prepare for such disasters.

In this episode, we'll look at how Sendai has transformed into a disaster-resilient city with its "multiple defenses" - countermeasures taken in its coastal area to minimize damage from a tsunami.

We look at Self-Defense Forces disaster prep, including their response team's special equipment and techniques, and a new tsunami prediction system.

Japan's snow is a big draw for tourists, but snow and ice can also pose dangers to drivers. We'll look at some Japanese technology being developed to prevent whiteouts and accidents on slippery roads.

Phase Free is a disaster preparedness concept that does not distinguish between everyday life and emergency situations. We'll see how everyday items can be used in times of disaster as well.

In Japan, extremely powerful lightning known as a superbolt can occur in the Hokuriku region during winter. What is the source of this power, which is comparable to a small nuclear explosion?

Typhoons are expected to intensify in the future, but can they be controlled? Find out about a national project that explores ways to weaken winds using fleets of ships and artificial clouds.

In 2021, digital twin technology analyzed a landslide in Atami and prevented further disasters. Find out how it is also used for tsunami prediction.

Many mountains in Japan that attract tourists are active volcanoes. Learn safety tips for climbing and the latest on eruption prediction research.

The world's first robot fire brigade has been developed in Japan. See how these incredible robots equipped with AI can tackle large-scale fires in areas that are inaccessible to humans.

Drones are proving particularly useful in the area of disaster response. Now, Osaka University is developing the world's first system to project evacuation information in the air.

What does it take to survive a flood? Japan has developed survival skills for floods through experiences such as typhoons. Find out how to safely navigate flooded streets and escape sinking cars.

Be earthquake-ready! Learn survival tips for quakes and when you're trapped under rubble. You'll want to watch this before your next trip to Japan.

In this episode, we look at Japan's efforts to improve tsunami evacuation, from overcoming "normalcy bias" that causes people to underestimate risk, to the installation of coastal evacuation towers.

Find out about Japan's emergency food options that meet the needs of various people. Also discover the rolling stock method, a smart way to stockpile emergency food.

Osaka, a city that thrives on rivers, has faced countless flood damage. Find out the latest measures protecting the city from typhoons and heavy rain.

Tokyo is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes and flooding. Discover the most advanced disaster prevention technologies hidden throughout the city.

Wildfires are increasing worldwide and global warming is accelerating the risk. Find out about Japan's unique system for swiftly responding to fires and the latest research on forest fire mitigation.

Droughts are increasing due to global warming. The latest simulations predict that megadroughts could occur along the Mediterranean coast and the west coast of the US. Now, Japan's cutting-edge technology is attracting attention as a solution to water scarcity. In Saudi Arabia, there are high hopes for using a filter developed by Shinshu University that removes over 99% of salt content from seawater. Meanwhile, Egypt is looking into a water dispenser developed by a Japanese venture company which produces drinking water from air.

The number of foreign visitors to Japan has been on the rise since the COVID travel restrictions have been lifted. However, many are not fully aware of natural disasters that strike Japan such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and typhoons. Now, there are efforts to ensure the safety of visitors during disasters. The newly developed "announcer drone" translates text into 29 languages and instructs people to evacuate while flying. At evacuation centers, local governments are well prepared to notify important information to those who do not understand Japanese, using translation systems developed for emergency situations.

Earthquakes destroy many buildings and take lives. One cause of earthquakes is an active fault. The impact of a sudden displacement of the ground shakes the Earth and causes an earthquake. Japan has compiled a database of active faults found to date and is preparing for earthquakes by examining each one in detail to predict its magnitude. Surveys are also being conducted to find new active faults. In this episode, we'll see how one researcher is searching for active faults hidden in the seafloor by using ultrasonic waves sent out from a ship.

In September 2018, the Hokkaido Eastern Iburi Earthquake knocked out power of the entire region, affecting up to 2.95 million households. The tremor caused several power plants to shut down, disrupting the electrical frequency. This led to a chain reaction of other power plants to shut down. People's lives were greatly affected, as medical equipment failed and logistics systems were disrupted. What can we do to prevent such large-scale power outages? Find out what power companies and local communities are doing to take steps against massive blackouts.

The 1983 eruption of Tokyo's Miyake Island resulted in the burial or loss of approximately 400 houses as well as a school built of reinforced concrete that was also buried by lava flow. The hazard map for Mount Fuji was revised in 2021, revealing the possibility of far greater damage from lava flows. Why have the damage assumptions been increased? And what countermeasures should be taken? In this episode, we'll look at the latest research on lava flows from Mount Fuji.

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 was one of the worst disasters in Japanese history. A magnitude 7.9 earthquake centered in the western part of Kanagawa Prefecture caused buildings to collapse, landslides to occur, and a tsunami to hit the coastal areas. However, most of the victims did not die in these disasters; the main cause of death was fire. In one open space in Tokyo, almost all of the nearly 40,000 evacuees who had gathered there died in a fire. Yet this was not just any fire, but rather a fire whirl, or what is more commonly known as a "fire tornado."

River flooding happens when heavy rain causes river levels to rise and overflow with large amounts of water. In recent years in Japan, a weather phenomenon known as "linear rainbands" has led to frequent torrential rain and the flooding of rivers. River flooding comes in two forms, and when one accompanies the other, the damage also grows more intense. Knowing the risks in the areas we call home and swiftly fleeing to a safe evacuation site in times of emergency are what is most needed to save lives. We will introduce tools with the latest digital technology that are effective for this purpose.

One of the most important things to do to save lives from a major tsunami is to evacuate to safety as soon as possible. The key to this is fast and accurate tsunami information. Once a life-threatening tsunami is detected, people living in risk areas have to evacuate to a place where they can escape from tsunami damage. After the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, Japan has established a large-scale tsunami observation network on the ocean floor and is working to disseminate accurate and prompt tsunami information.

On March 11, 2011, a huge earthquake occurred off Japan's Tohoku coast. Skyscrapers 400 kilometers away in Tokyo's Shinjuku district continued swaying for 13 minutes. And 770 kilometers away in Osaka, tall buildings swayed for more than 10 minutes. This swaying was caused by "long-period seismic waves", which can travel long distances at frequencies that resonate with high-rise buildings in particular. In this episode, we'll look at some of the steps being taken to address this problem, including heavy weights installed atop high-rises.

In April 2018, a landslide occurred on a hill behind houses in Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture. The landslide moved sediment over a width of more than 100 meters, completely destroying four houses and killing six people. Landslide hazard areas are found throughout Japan, and the total number of landslide hazard areas is approximately 680,000. Why do landslides occur? Experts believe they are often triggered by heavy rainfall. In this episode, we'll look at the mechanism behind landslides and the latest research on reducing their damage.

In recent years, heavy snow has been falling frequently in Japan. While the overall amount of snowfall per winter has been decreasing year by year, the amount of snow that falls at one time is conversely increasing. What role does climate change play in this? It turns out that rising temperatures have led to more water vapor in the Sea of Japan, and interaction with a weather phenomenon called JPCZ has subsequently brought on heavy snow. We'll examine the mechanism behind this as well as the risks of snow disasters.

When a typhoon or similar storm approaches, air pressure drops and the sea surface is sucked up. Strong winds also push seawater towards the shore. These factors combine to create a storm surge, a rise in the sea level that often results in coastal flooding. As an island nation, Japan is particularly vulnerable to storm surges. What will happen to the power of storm surges as climate change progresses? According to the latest research, the damage caused by storm surges is expected to become more severe, while the frequency of "once-in-50-year" storm surges may increase. We'll introduce some of latest measures to cope with this prospect.

More than 10 typhoons hit the Japanese archipelago in an average year. Their strong winds and heavy rains can cause flooding and landslides, even toppling buildings. To minimize such damage, Japan is working to further improve its predictions and monitoring of typhoon activity. But, accurately predicting a typhoon's changing strength is particularly challenging. To address this, researchers now fly a plane into the eye of a typhoon to measure the actual atmospheric conditions directly on-site. In this episode, we learn more about flying into these fierce typhoons.

In February 2022, an American space exploration company simultaneously launched 49 satellites. Yet not long after, 40 of those satellites fell out of orbit and burned up upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Similar accidents have occurred frequently in the past. The cause of such incidents is believed to be solar flares, huge explosions that occur on the sun's surface. Solar flares can also lead to other disasters that threaten our daily lives, such as major power outages, radio interference, and communication problems for airplanes and ships. Why do solar flares occur? We'll visit some researchers in Japan that are working hard to understand their mechanism and predict future occurrences.

In November 2021, the surface of a road in Mikasa, Hokkaido Prefecture suddenly caved in. A car fell into the large hole that formed, seriously injuring its three passengers. No underground construction work had been going on in the surrounding area, and the accident occurred without warning. Road cave-ins and other types of sinkholes happen not only in Japan but also in cities all over the world. One of the major causes is deterioration from aging pipes underground. Experts warn that multiple factors combine to cause sinkholes. In this program, we'll look at how sinkholes form as well as their countermeasures using the latest technology.

Linear rainbands. Once they occur, the area is hit with heavy downpour for an extended period of time, resulting in flood damage. In Japan, this phenomenon has been drawing attention ever since it struck in 2014, bringing torrential rainfall to Hiroshima Prefecture. While various studies led by the Japan Meteorological Agency are underway, it is still difficult to make accurate forecasts of linear rainbands at this point. When and where do linear rainbands occur? The mechanisms are still not understood. Find out how researchers are taking on the challenge to predict linear rainbands by accurately observing the location and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere and performing rapid calculations.

Mt. Ontake is located on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures. Standing 3,067 meters above sea level, it is a popular daytrip hiking spot for mountain enthusiasts. Mt. Ontake was crowded with climbers around noon during a September vacation season, when the sudden stream-driven "phreatic eruption" occurred. Many climbers panicked as they encountered this unexpected natural phenomenon. Why couldn't this eruption be predicted? According to experts, there are 3 main types of volcanic eruptions, and the warning signs of phreatic eruptions are the hardest to detect. Now researchers are making advances to detect the slightest signs of an eruption using observation satellites and chemical approaches. Find out the latest on the research of volcanic predictions.

The Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 and its resulting tsunami caused the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. The worst nuclear accident in Japan's history suffered from a lack of information due to the inaccessibility of the reactor buildings. For this reason, "disaster response robots" were deployed to take pictures and measure radiation doses inside the buildings. In the aftermath of a major disaster like that as well as an earthquake or fire, robots can quickly enter dangerous sites that are inaccessible to humans, find people in need of rescue, and take detailed measurements to provide data about the site. In this episode, we'll look at the latest developments among Japan's "disaster response robots."