Program in brief

Fosters disaster risk management experts in developing countries

• Program Director: Professor Masaru Sugahara
• Deputy Director: Professor Naohiko Hibino
• Degree Offered: Master of Disaster Management
• Language of Instruction: English
• How to Apply
• Time Schedule:
  • Program duration…1 year
  • Enrollment…October
  • Graduation…September

 

Natural disasters result in crippling economic losses and human tragedy, hampering development, particularly in developing countries, where many people reside in buildings and areas that are vulnerable to natural disasters. In order to reduce the effects of natural disasters, human losses in particular, proactive disaster risk management should be promoted, preferably in a multi-disciplinary fashion. To that end, it is essential to cultivate, through professional education and training, disaster management experts with the expertise to develop and apply appropriate disaster management policies and techniques that harmonize with local conditions.

 

In order to enhance the capacity of professionals in developing countries to cope with natural disasters, the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) offers a master’s degree program in Disaster Management Policy. This Program is offered jointly by the International Institute of Seismology and Earthquake Engineering (IISEE) of the Building Research Institute (BRI); the International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM) of the Public Works Research Institute (PWRI); and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This program is administered as a JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program, supported by Official Development Assistance from the Government of Japan.

 

Target Group

Technical officials, engineers, or researchers in the fields of earthquakes, tsunamis, water-related disasters, and disaster risk management policy in developing countries

 

Program Design

This program is designed to enable disaster risk management professionals from developing countries to acquire knowledge of seismology, earthquake engineering, tsunami disaster mitigation, and water-related disasters, as well as a foundation of disaster risk management knowledge; to learn the theories which constitute the foundation of disaster management policies; to study Japanese policies and systems; and to acquire the skills needed to apply problem-solving approaches to the development of concrete technologies and policies appropriate to local conditions.

 

Seismology, Earthquake Engineering and Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Curriculum

(as of October 2021)

https://gast.grips.ac.jp/syllabus/

Category	Course Name	Instructor
I Required Courses	Individual Study
II Recommended Courses	Disaster Management Policies A: from Regional and Infrastructure Aspect	Ieda
	Disaster Management Policies B: from Urban and Community Aspect	Sugahara
	Earthquake Hazard Assessment A	Kashima
	Earthquake Risk Assessment	Azuhata
	Tsunami Hazard Assessment	Shibazaki
	Tsunami Countermeasures	Fujii
	Earthquake Hazard Assessment B	Yokoi
III Elective Courses	Earthquake Phenomenology	Kita
	Characteristics of Earthquake Disasters	Hara
	Earthquake Circumstance	Shibazaki
	Information Technology Related with Earthquakes and Disasters	Hayashida
	Structural Analysis	Suwada
	Ground Vibration and Structural Dynamics	Kashima
	Seismic Structure	Suwada
	Seismic Evaluation and Seismic Design Code	Azuhata
	Theory of Tsunami	Fujii
	Case Study (Practice for Earthquake Disaster-Recovery Management Policy I)	Ito
	Case Study (Practice for Earthquake Disaster-Recovery Management Policy II)	Hayashida
	Case Study (Practice for Earthquake Disaster-Recovery Management Policy III)	Ito
	Case Study (Practice for Tsunami Disaster Mitigation Policy)	Hara
	Selected Topics in Policy Studies I -IV

Water-related Disaster Management Curriculum

(as of April 2021)

https://gast.grips.ac.jp/syllabus/

Category	Course Title	Instructor
I Required Courses	Individual Study
II Recommended Courses	Disaster Management Policies A: from Regional and Infrastructure Aspect	Ieda
	Disaster Management Policies B: from Urban and Community Aspect	Sugahara
	Hydrology	Miyamoto, Koike
	Hydraulics	Harada, Egashira
	Basic Concepts of Integrated Flood Risk Management (IFRM)	Takeuchi
	Urban Flood Management and Flood Hazard Mapping	Tanaka
	Flood Hydraulics and River Channel Design	Fukuoka
	Mechanics of Sediment Transportation and Channel Changes	Egashira
	Control Measures for Landslide & Debris Flow	Ohno
	Socio-economic and Environmental Aspects of Sustainability-oriented Flood Management	Ohara, Sumi
III Elective Courses	Computer Programming	Ushiyama, Harada
	Practice on Flood Forecasting and Inundation Analysis	Sayama,  Gusyev
	Practice on GIS and Remote Sensing Technique	Rasmy,   Kawasaki
	Site Visit of Water-related Disaster Management Practice in Japan	Koike
	Practice on Open Channel Hydraulics	Yorozuya
	Selected Topics in Policy Studies I -IV

Career Destinations

Graduates from this program are expected to hold key positions in disaster risk management. They typically work as engineers, seismologists, meteorologists, researchers, lecturers or professors.

 

 

Origin and Affiliation of Students

(as of October 2021)

Country	Typical Affiliation
Algeria	N/A
Bangladesh	Bangladesh Meteorological Department; Ministry of Housing and Public Works; Bangladesh Water Development Board; Public Works Department (PWD); Housing and Building Research Insttitute (HBRI)
Bhutan	Ministry of Agriculture and Forests; Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs; Ministry of Work and  Human Settlement; Ministry of Economic Affairs; National Center for Hydrology and Meteorology (NCHM)
Brazil	CPRM – Servico Geologico do Brasil; Military Fire Brigade of Minas Gerais; CPRM-Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais
Chile	Universidad de Santiago de Chili; Eonsis Geofisica; Ministry of Public Works; Asociacion Chilena de Ingenieria de Puertos y Costas
Colombia	General Maritime Directorate
Costa Rica	Volcanes sin Fronteras; Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad
Ecuador	Oceanographic Institute of the Armada of Ecuador
Egypt	National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG)
El Salvador	Mayors Council and Planification Office of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvado; Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources; Ministry of Public Works, Ministry of Public Works, Transport, Housing and Urban Development, Ministry of Culture; JICA Technical Cooperation Team for GENSAI Project; Mayors Council and Planning Office of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (COAMSS/OPAMSS); INGENYARSE S.A. de C.V.
Fiji	Ministry of Rural & Maritime Development & National Disaster Management; Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources
Ghana	Ghana Geological Survey Authority
India	Central Public Works Department; Central Water Commission
Indonesia	Agency for Meteology Climatology and Geophysics; Meteorological, Climatological, And Geophysical Agency (BMKG); National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB)
Liberia	National Disaster Management Agency
Malawi	Dept. of Disaster Management Affairs
Malaysia	Public Works Department of Malaysia
Mauritius	Land Drainage Authority
Mongolia	Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics, Mongolian Academy of Science
Morocco	Mohammadia School of Engineers, Mohammed V University
Myanmar	Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation, Ministry of Transport and Communications; Directorate of Water Resources and Improvement of River Systems
Nepal	Ministry of Industry; Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation; Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport
Nicaragua	IGG-CIGEO, UMAN/MANAGUA; Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies
Pakistan	Pakistan Meteorological Department; Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority
Peru	Japan-Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering Research and Disaster Mitigation (CISMID)
Philippines	Pangasinan State University; Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology; Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA); Department of Public Works and Highways; Department of Science and Technology, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology; Batangas State University
Solomon	Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification
Sri Lanka	Department of Irrigation; Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation
Tanzania	Prime Minister’s Office
Timor-Leste	Instituto Do Petroleo e Geologia (IPG); Meteorological, Climatological, And Geophysical Agency (BMKG)
Tonga	Ministry of Land and Natural Resources; Ministry of Infrastructure
Vanuatu	Ministry of Climate Change & Adaptation
Vietnam	Vietnam Academy for Water Resources

 

Recent Theses

(2020-2021)

• COMPLEX BEHAVIOR IN THE SOURCE PROCESS OF THE 18 AUGUST 2020,
  BENGKULU, SOUTHWEST OF SUMATRA DOUBLET EARTHQUAKE
• HYPOCENTER DETERMINATION OF LOCAL EARTHQUAKES USING DATA FROM LOCAL STATIONS IN AND AROUND TIMOR LESTE
• DETERMINATION OF FOCAL MECHANISM OF THE TONGA-FIJI EARTHQUAKES WITH A SPARSE REGIONAL SEISMIC NETWORK
• SITE EFFECTS ESTIMATION FROM STRONG GROUND MOTION AND MICROTREMOR RECORDS AROUND THE CITY OF TSUKUBA
• GEOPHYSICAL PROSPECTING USING MICROTREMORS TO ESTIMATE 1-D SHALLOW SHEAR WAVE VELOCITY PROFILES IN THIMPHU, BHUTAN
• ESTIMATION OF SOURCE, PROPAGATION, AND SITE AMPLIFICATION FACTORS USING BROADBAND SEISMIC DATA IN THE PHILIPPINES
• THE SIMPLIFIED SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF THE STONE MASONRY HOUSES AND SEISMIC BAND’S EFFECTS TO PREVENT THE SEISMIC FAILURE
• SEISMIC EVALUATION CONSIDERING INFILL WALL AND RETROFIT OF
  A FIVE STORIED RC BUILDING IN BANGLADESH
• SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A RC BUILDING WITH MASONRY INFILL DESIGNED BY PREVIOUS SEISMIC CODE IN BANGLADESH
• FRAGILITY EVALUATION OF TYPICAL RC GOVERNMENT QUARTERS BUILDINGS DESIGNED BY BS 8110 IN SABAH, MALAYSIA
• BASIC STUDY ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGN CODE FOR SEISMICALLY ISOLATED BUILDINGS IN EL SALVADOR
• SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FOR HEALTH FACILITIES (CLINIC) IN MALAYSIA
• TSUNAMI SIMULATION AND HAZARD ASSESSMENT FOR MEGATHRUST EARTHQUAKES ALONG THE COASTS OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS
• DEVELOPING TSUNAMI FRAGILITY FUNCTIONS USING NUMERICAL MODELING AND REMOTE SENSING DATA FROM THE 2010 CHILE TSUNAMI
• NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS OF THE 1992 FLORES TSUNAMI USING EARTHQUAKE FAULT AND LANDSLIDE MODELS
• STUDY ON THE MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DAWKI-PIYAN RIVER SYSTEM IN BANGLADESH
• METHOD FOR PREDICTING THE SEDIMENT RUNOFF PROCESS DUE TO HEAVY RAINFALL IN THE YAZAGYO RESERVOIR BASIN, MYANMAR
• IMPACT ASSESSMENT ON EXTREME FLOODS DUE TO CLIMATE AND SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE AMOCHU BASIN, BHUTAN
• A STUDY ON AN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE FOR GRAND RIVER NORTH WEST RIVER BASIN, MAURITIUS
• ASSESSMENT OF INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE IN WANGCHU BASIN, BHUTAN
• FLOOD DAMAGE INSPECTION METHOD FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN MALAYSIA
• IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE, SEA-LEVEL RISE IN TONGATAPU, HA’APAI AND ITS EFFECTS ON LIVELIHOOD

Synopses of Graduates 2020-2021 are available here

 

(2019-2020)

• STRONG GROUND MOTION SIMULATION OF THE 2019 JAVA, INDONESIA, EARTHQUAKE (Mw 6.9) USING EMPIRICAL GREEN’S FUNCTION METHOD

• sPg WAVES OBSERVED FOR THE 2012 BAYANBULAG EARTHQUAKE

• A NEW PATHWAY TO UNTANGLE THE QUESTION: WAS THE VOLCANIC ERUPTION TRIGGERED BY THE EARTHQUAKE?

• APPLICATION OF SEISMIC INTERFEROMETRY TO BROADBAND AMBIENT NOISE RECORDINGS IN AND AROUND THE PHILIPPINES ISLANDS

• STRONG MOTION ESTIMATION IN COSTA RICA AT SPECIFIC SITES USING SPECTRAL INVERSION METHOD

• EARTHQUAKE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF TYPICAL BRIDGE STRUCTURES WITH SEISMIC ISOLATION AND SOIL STRUCTURE INTERACTION IN THE PHILIPPINES

• SEISMIC EVALUATION AND RETROFITTING OF TRADITIONAL BHUTANESE STONE MASONRY RESIDENTIAL HOUSE

• DETAIL SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A TWELVE (12) STORIED OFFICIAL BUILDING IN DHAKA AND SUITABLE RETROFITTING TECHNIQUE

• SEISMIC PERFORMANCE EVALUATION FOR CONTINUOUS USE OF AN EXISTING BRIDGE IN NEPAL

• PROPOSAL OF GROUND MOTION PREDICTION EQUATION (GMPE) FOR CHILEAN GROUND MOTION RECORDS AND ITS APPLICATION

• EVALUATION AND RETROFITTING OF A HISTORIC ADOBE MASONRY BUILDING

• CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT ON THE FLOOD RISK CHANGE IN KECH RIVER, TURBAT BALOCHISTAN, PAKISTAN

• A NUMERICAL STUDY ON BANK EROSION OF A BRAIDED CHANNEL: CASE STUDY OF THE “TANGAIL AND MANIKGANJ DISTRICTS ALONG THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER”

• DEVELOPING AN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR CHINDWIN RIVER BASIN UNDER CHANGING CLIMATE

• NUMERICAL STUDY FOR INFLUENCES OF FLOW DIVERSION ON CHANNEL MORPHOLOGY CASE STUDY OF BAGMATI RIVER, CENTRAL NEPAL

• MORPHOLOGICAL STUDY OF KOSHI RIVER AT CHATARA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON INTAKE OF SUNSARI MORANG IRRIGATION PROJECT, NEPAL

• HAZARDOUS AREA RESULTING FROM TAILINGS DAM FAILURE

• ASSESSMENT OF WATER RESOURCES UNDER CHANGING CLIMATE FOR EFFECTIVE HYDROPOWER AND AGRICULTURE PRODUCTIONS IN PUNA TSANGCHHU BASIN, BHUTAN

• FLOOD IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN THE ITAPOCU RIVER BASIN , BRAZIL

• STUDY ON FLOW PATTERN AND ASSOCIATED BED DEFORMATION IN THE OFF-TAKE REGION OF GORAI RIVER, BANGLADESH

• COMPREHENSIVE EVALUATION OF FLOOD MITIGATION MEASURES BASED ON CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN THE WANGCHHU BASIN

• ANALYZING RIVER MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES AND FORMULATING NO REGRET STRUCTURAL MEASURES IN CHINDWIN RIVER

      Synopses of Graduates 2019-2020 are available here

 

(2018-2019)

• Completeness Magnitude of Earthquakes and b-Value in Myanmar

• Determination of Hypocenters of Earthquakes in and Around Bangladesh
• Fragility Evaluation of RC Buildings Designed by Nepal Building Code Considering Deformation Capacity
• Seismic Retrofit of Existing Residential Building in Nepal to Functionalize as Hospital Using Ferrocement
• Earthquake Performance Evaluation of Typical Bridge Structures Designed by a Force-Based Design Method in The Philippines
• A Study on Seismic Performance and Retrofit Approach for Current RC Buildings with Soft First Story in Nepal
• Evaluation of Possible Locations of Bottom Pressure Recorder for the Colombian North Pacific Coast, Using Tsunami Travel Times And Tsunami Simulations
• Study of the Bathymetric Influence on Tsunami Propagation Near the Coast of Esmeraldas by Tsunami Simulation and Ray Tracing Analysis
• Influence of Sand Bar Behaviour on Channel Changes Along Kaligandaki River, Nepal
• Analysis of Climate Change Impact Using Bias-Corrected Precipitation in St. Paul River Basin, Liberia
• Assessment of the Climate Change Impact on the Flood Risk Change in Chenab River Basin

• Study on Channel Changes and Bed Deformation in Confluence Region of Ganges and Jamuna Rivers Under Different Inflow Conditions

• Development of Integrated Hydrological Modelling Framework for Flood Inundation Mapping in Brahmani-Baitarani River Basin, India
• Development of Integrated Water Resources Management Plan for Eastern Dry Zone in Sri Lanka: The Case of Gal Oya River Basin
• RRI Model-Based Flood Evacuation Timeline of City and Municipality LGUs in  Pampanga River Basin, Philippines
•  Synopses of Graduates 2018-2019 are available here

 

(2017-2018)

• Development of Effective Water Usage Plan for Dry Zone of Srilanka: Case Study in Malwathu Oya Basin

• Accidental Torsion in the Moroccan Seismic Code: Parametric Study

• Magnitude Estimation for Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) for Eastern Cairo and the South of Sinai

• Tsunami Damage Estimation along the Coast of Laoag City using Tsunami Fragility Functions

• Real Time Flood and Inundation Forecast in Trans-Boundary River Basin using Multi-model High Resolution Precipitation Forecast

• Development of an Integrated Research Method for Effective Water Resource Management in a Complex Watershed System: The Case Of Mahaweli River Basin

•  Synopses of Graduates 2017-2018 are available here 

 

(2016-2017)

• Estimation of Source Parameters for the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake Aftershocks

• Simulation of Strong Ground Motion for North-Eastern Region of India

• Seismic Evaluation and Retrofitting of a Weak 8 Storied RC Building in Bangladesh and Effect of Masonry Infill Wall

• Real-Time Tsunami Inundation Forecast Study in Chimbote City, Peru

• Sendai Framework Indicators for Disaster Risk Reduction in Brazil: Initial Conditions, Feasibility Analysis, and Understanding the Risks

• Analysis of Effective Reservoir Operation for Mitigating Flood Damages in a Vuong Dam Basin, Vietnam

 

• Synopses of Graduates 2016-2017 are available here

 

(2015-2016)

• Method for Predicting Sediment Runoff Processes and Channel Changes in West Rapti River, Nepal 

• Crustal Structure Analysis of the Philippines Using Receiver Function Technique: An Introductory Study Using a Local Broadband Seismic Network

• Retrofitting of the Composite Beam-Column Connections Using Circular Web Opening

• W Phase Inversion Analysis and Tsunami Simulation for Tsunami Warning for Large Earthquake (Mw > 7.0) in Nicaragua

• Integrated Water Resources Management for Eastern Dry Zone of Sri Lanka Study of Mundani River Basin

• Sedimentation and Its Countermeasure at the Off-Take Area of New Dhaleswari River

 

(2014-2015)

• Study on Near-field Tsunami Inundation Forecast for Tsunami Hazard Assessment in Western Java, Indonesia

• Receiver Function Study in the Ulaanbaatar Region

• Seismic Capacity Assessment of an Existing RC Framed Building in Bangladesh Focused on the Effect of Brick Masonry Infill Wall

• Tsunami Damage Estimation in Esmeraldas, Ecuador Using Tsunami Fragility Functions

• Prediction of Sediment Transport Processes in Nzoia River Using Rainfall Runoff Model

• Comparative Analysis of Flood Forecasting Techniques Using RRI, HEC-RAS & Gauge-to-Gauge Correlation Method for Delhi, India

 

Activities after Completion

GRIPS alumni contributing to the SDGs