In the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, high-rise buildings in Tokyo's Shinjuku district, some 400 kilometers away from the epicenter, continued to sway significantly for 13 minutes. This is thought to have occurred when the high-rise buildings experienced resonance from the earthquake's "long-period seismic motion." Furthermore, in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, a type of motion called a "long-period pulse" was recorded for the first time in Japan, presenting a new challenge for earthquake countermeasures. In addition to examining these types of earthquake motion, we'll also look at the effects of earthquakes on buildings and explore ways to save lives.

In Japan, the temperature is continuing to rise due to the effects of global warming and heatstroke cases are also on the rise. Heatstroke is a condition in which the body loses the ability to regulate its own temperature in a hot humid environment. It causes nausea, dizziness, delirium and could even lead to death. Professor Akimasa Hirata of Nagoya Institute of Technology developed a way to simulate the core body temperature using computer models of the human body. His research is helping to predict the risk of heatstroke. Furthermore, another research is underway that combines this technology with urban climate simulations. Discover ways to protect yourself from heatstroke through the latest research.

In 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake struck Japan's Hyogo Prefecture early in the morning. Immediately after the earthquake, multiple fires broke out at the same time. Those who could not escape the fires lost their lives, and a total of 6,434 people died in the disaster. According to one investigation, 2 out of 3 people noticed the fires but did not evacuate immediately. Why was this? Reasons included delayed evacuation, an inability to evacuate and evacuation confusion. Now, the latest research is helping us understand the unexpected difficulties in trying to escape from a city hit by post-earthquake fires. In this program, we'll explore what is necessary to save lives.

On March 11, 2011, a huge earthquake occurred off Japan's Tohoku coast. Skyscrapers 400 kilometers away in Tokyo's Shinjuku district continued swaying for 13 minutes. And 770 kilometers away in Osaka, tall buildings swayed for more than 10 minutes. This swaying was caused by "long-period seismic waves", which can travel long distances at frequencies that resonate with high-rise buildings in particular. In this episode, we'll look at some of the steps being taken to address this problem, including heavy weights installed atop high-rises.