On December 26, 2004, the sea floor off the Indonesian island of Sumatra deformed abruptly, triggering a giant tsunami that hit countries around the Indian Ocean. Seismic wave amplitude was determined to be magnitude 9.3, and the number of people killed and missing is now estimated at about 310,000 (March 31, 2005 figure). The disaster shocked the entire world and showed the awesome power of a tsunami. Another major undersea earthquake occurred off Sumatra three months later, on March 29, 2005, bringing destruction once more. All over the world, new ways to protect lives and property from disaster are being developed.

Japan has always been prone to earthquakes. In just the past decade there have been three major quakes which caused considerable damage—in 1995 (Kobe region), 2004 (central Niigata Prefecture) and 2005 (offshore western Fukuoka Prefecture). After each disaster the Japanese pick themselves up, learn from experience and find ways to reduce the potential for destruction the next time. Repeated disasters and the ongoing development of new countermeasures have led to the development of anti-disaster technologies and systems that can hopefully be applied worldwide. This issue of Nipponia looks at earthquakes and tsunamis, and the latest technologies Japan is using to fight them.