13th bilateral conference between Italy and Japan on natural hazard prediction and prevention

On Monday, November 6, 2023, the 13th bilateral conference between Italy and Japan on natural hazard prediction and prevention was held in Tokyo as part of the collaboration that has linked the Research Institute for Hydrogeological Protection of the National Research Council (CNR-IRPI) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructures, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan since 1998.

This collaboration, focused mainly on hydrogeological risk issues, gave rise in 2003 to the GRJL (Geo-Risk Joint Lab), a joint laboratory, initiated within the 7th Executive Program of Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Italy and Japan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that deals with research, documentation and training in the field of geological and hydraulic instability and risk mitigation.

The conference provided an important opportunity for in-depth study and discussion between Japanese and Italian researchers and technicians on three specific topics: landslide risk management, new debris flow monitoring techniques, and early warning systems. During the conference, the main experiences in Italy and Japan were presented, current regulations were compared, and possible joint actions to develop and promote the efforts of the two countries in structural and non-structural safeguards were prospected.

The Italian delegation consisted of CNR IRPI researchers Maria Teresa Brunetti, Marco Cavalli, Gianluca Marcato, Alessandro Pasuto and Silvia Peruccacci, and ANAS S.p.a. Network Management Manager Eng. Ettore de la Grennelais, who presented the design and construction choices and lines of intervention for road protection works in view of the Cortina-Milan 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

Following the conference, the Italian delegation had the opportunity to visit the Yui and Kamenose landslide mitigation works, the Osawa Basin debris flow monitoring site on Mt. Fuji, and the Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel, the world’s largest underground lamination facility built to mitigate the flood risk of the city of Tokyo during the rainy and typhoon seasons.