Survey Report:
Chief Research Achievements of the Earthquake Long-Term Forecast Panel During 2019–2023
Takuya Nishimura*,
and Masanobu Shishikura**

*Disaster Prevention Research Institute Kyoto University
Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan
Corresponding author
**Geological Survey of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology
Tsukuba, Japan
Long-term forecast of large earthquakes is an important application of earthquake science to promote earthquake preparedness of people and disaster mitigation. The Earthquake Long-Term Forecast Panel was newly organized as one of the program promotion panels under the 2nd Earthquake and Volcano Hazards Observation and Research Program during 2019–2023. The panel has been promoting studies that advance long-term forecasts of large earthquakes by sharing research prospects and exchanging information on related research topics. The program emphasized developing new long-term forecast methods based on the observation data including geodetic and seismicity data and the physical and statistical models, which lead to not only probabilistic forecasts, but also the development of possible scenarios for major earthquakes at the present. In addition, paleoseismological studies in terms of geological and geomorphological studies as well as archaeological and historical studies were conducted. Some results of the earthquake occurrence history were reflected in the official long-term evaluation by the Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion. It is evaluated that our study advanced under the program in the last five years. However, the 2024 MJMA7.6 Noto Peninsula earthquake and other earthquakes that occurred in this program term have raised several problems in earthquake science and hazard mitigation, and it is important to continue and further develop our research in the next program.

Research subjects in the long-term Forecast Panel
- [1] T. Saito and A. Noda, “Mechanically coupled areas on the plate interface in the Nankai Trough, Japan and a possible seismic and aseismic rupture scenario for megathrust earthquakes,” J. of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol.127, Issue 8, Article No.e2022JB023992, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JB023992
- [2] R. Agata, A. Kasahara, and Y. Yagi, “A Bayesian inference framework for fault slip distributions based on ensemble modeling of the uncertainty of underground structure—With a focus on uncertain fault dip,” Geophysical J. Int., Vol.229, Issue 2, pp. 1392-1411, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggab033
- [3] R. Agata, R. Nakata, A. Kasahara, Y. Yagi, Y. Seshimo, S. Yoshioka, and T. Iinuma, “Bayesian multi-model estimation of fault slip distribution for slow slip events in Southwest Japan: Effects of prior constraints and uncertain underground structure,” J. of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, Vol.127, Issue 8, Article No.e2021JB023712, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JB023712
- [4] A. Hashima, T. Hori, T. Iinuma, S. Murakami, K. Fujita, and T. Ichimura, “Stress change in Southwest Japan due to the 1944–1946 Nankai Megathrust rupture sequence based on a 3-D heterogeneous rheological model,” Earth, Planets and Space, Vol.76, Article No.67, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-023-01943-z
- [5] T. Hori, R. Agata, T. Ichimura, K. Fujita, T. Yamaguchi, and T. Iinuma, “High fidelity elastic Green’s functions for subduction zone models consistent with the Global Standard Geodetic Reference System,” Earth, Planets and Space, Vol.73, Article No.41, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-021-01370-y
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- [7] T. Saito and A. Noda, “Mechanically coupled areas on the plate interface in the Kanto Region, Central Japan, generating great earthquakes and slow-slip events,” Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, Vol.113, No.5, pp. 1842-1855, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120230073
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- [14] T. Nishimura and T. Ueda, “Long-term forecast model for crustal earthquakes using geodetic data in Japan,” Abstract, 24th Joint Meeting UJNR Panel Earthq. Res., Article No.O-07, 2024.
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- [17] T. Hisakawa, R. Ando, T. E. Yano, and M. Matsubara, “Dynamic rupture simulation of 2018, Hokkaido Eastern Iburi earthquake: Role of non-planar geometry,” Earth, Planets and Space, Vol.72, Article No.36, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40623-020-01160-y
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