Resolution of the Fifth Joint Meeting
of the U.S.-Japan Panel on Earthquake Research UJNR

October, 2004

The UJNR Panel on Earthquake Research promotes advanced research toward a more fundamental understanding of the earthquake process and hazard estimation. The Fifth Joint meeting was extremely beneficial in furthering cooperation and deepening understanding of the common problems in both U.S. and Japan.
The meeting included very productive exchanges of information on approaches to systematic observation of earthquake processes. We look forward to continued cooperation on issues involving densification of observation networks and the open exchange of data among scientific communities. We also recognize the importance of
making information publicly available in a timely manner.

Related Agreements

The Panel recognizes the potential benefits of working together to achieve common goals set forth in other agreements, which seek cooperative work between our two counties to accelerate the efforts in earthquake hazard reduction. Among the stated priorities of these agreements, including the following:
-Quantify the potential for future earthquakes
-Test basic theories about the sources of earthquakes
-Understand the near-source ground motions, geological effects and structural response
-Develop and improve real-time seismic information systems.

Areas of Cooperation

Some specific areas of earthquake research where cooperative research between the U.S. and Japan may lead to significant advancement include, but are not limited to,
- Space technologies such as GPS, InSAR, VLBI and SLR, for measuring crustal
deformations
- Real-time seismic information systems
- Fault-zone physics
- Paleoseismology
- Seismic hazard estimation
The Panel strongly urges that the appropriate agencies in the U.S. and Japan, that are represented on this panel, work together, and with academic sector, to support and coordinate the scientific work in these areas of cooperation.
The Panel recognizes the importance of promoting exchange of scientific personnel, exchange of data, and fundamental studies to advance progress in earthquake research. The Panel endorses continuation of these activities.

Collaborative Workshops

The Panel encourages small focused workshops to discuss common problems and to promote scientist-to-scientist exchange Japanese and American research results, and to plan new collaborative projects.

Rapid Exchange of Post-Earthquake Information

The Panel recognizes the value of exchanging preliminary information about large or significant earthquakes immediately after they occur. Toward this end the Panel encourages government agencies as well as academic institutions in the US (e.g. USGS) and Japan (e.g. JMA, NEID,GSI) to develop and exchange the URL’s for websites with links to other websites containing the preliminary results and interpretations in the time period immediately after large earthquakes.

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be held in Japan in the autumn of 2006.