Revisions to the special measures law for responding to volcanic activities will result in a new task force being formed next spring to monitor and study active volcanoes.

A volcanic disaster by its very nature would cause widespread damage and gravely affect social and economic activity. It is vital to establish a reliable system to monitor volcanic activity. At the same time, experts must be trained who can support the endeavor.

Japan has 111 active volcanoes, some of which have blown their tops in recent years. They include the 2014 eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan, which left 58 people dead and five missing, and the 1993 eruption of Mount Unzen’s Fugendake that killed 43 people.

One thing is certain. Japan is bound to continue experiencing devastating volcanic eruptions, like the last confirmed one of Mount Fuji, known as “Hoei Funka,” in 1707, and even bigger ones.

Traditionally, universities have played the leading role in research and observation activities on volcanoes. With a growing number of national universities becoming corporate entities, experts say it has become difficult to secure sufficient financial and human resources for this field of endeavor. Local governments and researchers have called for enhanced policy support to overcome the shortages.

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, which devastated Kobe and its vicinity in 1995, led to the creation of the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion and a nationwide observation network for monitoring seismic activity.

There has since been notable progress in research in active faults and ocean-trench earthquakes. The headquarters, for instance, estimated the scales of predicted earthquakes and the probabilities of them occurring in certain periods.

There is still room for improvement in the way the headquarters describes risks and possible consequences. But the task force has played an important role in making the public aware of the fact that Japan is crisscrossed by active faults and that the risk of megaquakes is urgent.

Like the headquarters for dealing with the threat of earthquakes, the new headquarters for volcano research promotion will be part of the science and technology ministry. The body will monitor, survey, research and study volcanoes in an integrated manner. It will be tasked with developing comprehensive research and survey plans and coordinating funding for universities, research institutes and the relevant ministries and agencies.

Many challenges remain to be tackled in the fields of research and survey of volcanoes. Individual researchers have spent years studying the eruption histories of volcanoes that are necessary for dealing with disaster risks. But many related questions remain unanswered.

Research into the history of Mount Fuji’s past eruptions has made progress in recent years, leading to the discovery of a new crater. The information was used to create a new hazard map. Such research should also be carried out into other volcanoes, starting with major ones.

The Japan Meteorological Agency’s Coordinating Committee for Prediction of Volcanic Eruption has undergone a series of reforms. While the agency oversees daily volcanic activities, committee experts are on hand to help respond to emergencies.

The new volcano headquarters will set up a system for more effective data collection and research to support the operations of the agency and the committee. The headquarters and the prediction committee must work together to ensure an effective division of roles and efficient operations.

In the past, a major volcanic eruption led academic researchers across the nation to travel to the site to help mitigate damage. As the environment surrounding academic research has changed significantly, this approach is no longer tenable. That makes it necessary to create a new system to step up research and survey flexibly when an emergency occurs.

Experts have long pointed out that Japan has too few academic researchers to keep a close watch on all the nation’s active volcanoes. The revised law calls on the central as well as local governments to make constant efforts to develop and secure the necessary human resources. It is also crucial to train experts in disaster preparedness and volcanic research and provide jobs for them.

Even if no notable eruption takes place for a while, the government should not relax its constant efforts to improve the nation’s preparedness for volcanic eruptions.

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 1