The Regional Disaster Prevention Department was established with the aims of conducting strategic and organized surveys and research on regional disaster prevention, and generating awareness of this among municipalities and citizens in Akita Prefecture. Doing this will enable local residents to engage in their own disaster prevention activities and create a region that is more resilient disasters, even in the event of a major earthquake disaster in the prefecture or northern areas along the coast of the Sea of Japan.
The department consists of the Disaster Prevention Section and the Earthquake/Active Fault Line Section, both of which contain specially-appointed teaching staff who are engaged in regional disaster prevention initiatives and research and research on active fault lines.
The Earthquake/Active Fault Line Section is run through donations from Akita Prefecture. Its main work includes surveys and research relating to earthquake disasters in Akita Prefecture and the development of human resources. Furthermore, it also employs external lecturers as ‘regional disaster prevention advisors’ in order to shed light on earthquake disasters that have occurred throughout history. In addition, in order to conduct research on earthquakes and disaster prevention on a university-wide scale, teaching staff specializing in earthquakes, disaster prevention and volcanoes participate as ‘cooperating teachers.’
