COUNTERMEASURE FOR TSUNAMI DISASTER MITIGATION IN PACIFIC OCEAN

LESSONS FOR JAPAN

Abstract

The paper introduces the activity for disaster mitigation of tsunami in Pacific ocean after the 1960 Chilean tsunami, which should be lessons to improve the research and public work for the mitigation in Japan. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) failed to issue an effective tsunami warning for the tsunamis of the 1960 Chile Earthquake, being aware that international cooperation is essential. Through the experience of the 1960 tsunami, the two international cooperation organizations; ICG/ITSU and PTWC were started to establish the far-field tsunami warning system in the Pacific ocean. JMA also exchanges of tidal data with the United States of America and other states, monitoring the data of foreign eighteen stations in this area. DART, TIME in US, and Pacific museum are introduced for the early time warning system with high accuracy, making hazards maps to increase people awareness and evacuation system, and public education by providing documentation, exhibition, workshops, and lectures.