The Earthquake and Volcano Hazards Observation and Research Program II began after the initial program in 2014–2018 [1], wherein comprehensive, multidisciplinary research was conducted to mitigate disasters related to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The second program introduced a new focus on improving disaster literacy in addition to the three main studies from the first program: understanding earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, developing methods for forecasting earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, and predicting related hazards. We further conducted five comprehensive studies on the following: 1) the Nankai Trough earthquake, 2) an earthquake just beneath the Tokyo metropolitan area, 3) great earthquakes along the Kuril Trench, 4) major eruptions at Sakurajima Volcano, and 5) small but hazardous eruptions at active volcanoes. These studies were conducted in collaboration with researchers from various scientific fields, such as earth sciences, history, archaeology, human and social sciences, and engineering. Building on the active collaborations established during the first five-year program between researchers from different scientific fields, more advanced interdisciplinary research was conducted in the second program. The new findings from Program II also fostered international collaboration and recognition. Most results and new findings of Program II have already been published in various internationally recognized journals, significantly influencing the scientific community. The present special issue summarizes and compiles our findings in these published papers and reports, along with the ongoing research from the five years of Program II. We hope that this special issue will be valuable to researchers interested in multidisciplinary studies on the mitigation of disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and related phenomena.

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[1 ] Y. Tanioka, S. Yoshida, T. Ohminato, A. Kato, and N. Kamaya, “Special Issue on Earthquake and Volcano Hazards Observation and Research Program,” J. Disaster Res., Vol.15, No.2, p. 69, 2020. urlhttps://doi.org/10.20965/jdr.2020.p0069