Japan is situated in one of the most active crustal zones in the world. The country's extremely diverse topography and geology combine to create generally unstable conditions including frequent earthquakes. The weather also can be unmerciful to bring heavy rain and snow. Therefore, a wide variety of natural disasters strike different parts of Japan each year and the nationwide railway network needs protection from natural disasters. This paper describes recent trends in the research of natural disaster prevention technology conducted by RTRI.

Copyright (c) 2001 Railway Technical Research Institute