Navigating Disasters

Major earthquakes frequently cause unexpected damage over wide and distant areas. For example, in the 2025 Myanmar earthquake, a high-rise collapsed in Thailand, far from the epicenter. Disasters also take a toll on the health of survivors, with deaths continuing to occur at evacuation shelters. What is going on? Experts in Japan have closely examined such unforeseen consequences and worked to implement countermeasures each time. In this program we share our experiences and disaster prevention knowledge with earthquake-prone regions in Asia and around the world.

The collapse of buildings thought to be sturdy, sudden cave-ins of roads, entire towns engulfed by liquefaction...an underlying cause of these phenomena is what is known as soft soil. In the earthquake that struck Japan's Noto Peninsula in January 2024, a building that stood on soft soil toppled over, resulting in many casualties. The latest research has shed light on the surprising mechanism behind soft soil. How can we address this invisible threat beneath our feet? Join us as we spotlight what Japan has learned and its cutting-edge research in tackling ground-related disasters that pose a threat worldwide.

In this series we share Japan's disaster preparedness knowledge with viewers around the world. This time we zero in on disasters related to heavy snowfall. As global warming progresses, increasingly heavy snow loads are threatening people's lives. Record-breaking snowstorms have struck far and wide, disrupting city functions and even impacting regions that rarely see that type of weather. Scientists have been working to unravel the mechanisms behind snow disasters and mitigate future risk. Join us as we visit the front lines of disaster prevention and highlight how Japanese people have learned to live with snow.