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Tsunami Engineering Lab
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A lab that studies tsunamis from an engineering perspective, from their generation through to damage and evacuation.
AboutAbout the lab
Facing tsunamis from an engineering perspective.
The Tsunami Engineering Lab is the only lab in the world that studies tsunamis from an engineering perspective.
Its work rests on three pillars: field surveys in Japan and overseas, development of high-precision numerical tsunami forecasting systems, and support for local tsunami disaster countermeasures.
Its research extends to earth science, geology, disaster mitigation engineering, human behavior, disaster information, and remote sensing.
The lab also engages in international projects with United Nations agencies and overseas universities, disaster education, and research with companies.
Key terms
- Numerical analysis
- Expressing natural phenomena in mathematical equations and solving them on a computer to reproduce how they behave
- Multilayered defense
- An approach that reduces tsunami damage by layering multiple measures, such as urban planning and evacuation, rather than relying on seawalls alone
- Remote sensing
- Technology for observing the condition of the land surface from a distance, using satellites or aircraft
NewsLab news
An Associate Professor received the Outstanding Alumni Award from the Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University
Results of the numerical analysis of the tsunami caused by the Hokkaido-Sanriku offshore earthquake released
An Associate Professor and a Professor received the Annual Outstanding Paper Award from the Institute of Social Safety Science
A student and a faculty member received the Paper Encouragement Award from the Institute of Social Safety Science
A Professor received the 2nd Murakami Memorial Disaster Research Award
ResearchResearch themes
Based on the philosophy of disaster countermeasures and control, the lab carries out field surveys in Japan and overseas, develops high-precision numerical tsunami forecasting systems, and supports local tsunami disaster countermeasures. Its tsunami analysis technology is a subject of international technology transfer, with the TIME Project at its core.
*Illustrative imageUnderstanding How Tsunamis Are Generated and Propagate
The lab builds numerical analysis models of how tsunamis are generated, in order to clarify past tsunamis and forecast tsunamis that may occur in the future. The results of the analysis are also used in multilayered defense measures for reconstruction and in evacuation plans.
*Illustrative imageReading the Damage of the Great East Japan Earthquake
For the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake Tsunami, the lab used information on victims to clarify the relationship between causes of death and tsunami forces. Through field surveys and satellite image analysis, it assesses damage across a wide range of targets, including buildings, fishing boats, aquaculture rafts, and eelgrass beds.
*Illustrative imageEvacuation Behavior and Passing Down Disaster Lessons
In disaster-stricken areas, the lab conducts interviews and large-scale questionnaire surveys to clarify the processes of evacuation behavior among residents and communities. The results are used in municipal tsunami evacuation plans and in exhibits at disaster memorial facilities, and they also lead to practice in disaster education.
MembersFaculty
The members of the Tsunami Engineering Lab consist of faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorFumihiko Imamura
- Associate ProfessorSuppasri Anawat
- Associate ProfessorDaisuke Sugawara
- Associate ProfessorShosuke Sato
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Report an errorAbout the images
For images provided to us or used with permission, the source is listed on each line. Wikimedia Commons images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab (they are cropped). Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “An aerial view of tsunami damage in an area north of Sendai, Japan, taken from a U.S. Navy helicopter” Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dylan McCord / Public domain (cropped)
- Understanding How Tsunamis Are Generated and Propagate: “2011Sendai-NOAA-Energylhvpd9-05” West Coast & Alaska Tsunami Warning Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / Public domain (cropped)
- Reading the Damage of the Great East Japan Earthquake: “Kesennuma earthquake damage, 2011” Caleb Eames, U.S. Marine Corps / Public domain (cropped)
- Evacuation Behavior and Passing Down Disaster Lessons: “Gymnasium of Kesennuma Koyo High School after 2011 Great Eastern Japan Earthquake” Yasu (talk) / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Advanced Computational Mechanics Lab): “Sediment Flow Simulation” 東北大学 先進計算力学研究室 / 研究室からの
提供 (cropped) - Related lab (Disaster Geoinformatics Lab): “Mapping flood with Envisat's radar” Envisat satellite / CC BY-SA 3.0 igo (cropped)
- Related lab (Computational Safety Engineering Lab): “US Navy 110318-M-HU778-007 An aerial view of Ishinomaki, Japan, a week after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami devastated the area” U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ethan Johnson / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab ([International Research Institute of Disaster Science] International Disaster Mitigation Strategy Lab): “Tacloban Typhoon Haiyan” Trocaire from Ireland / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
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