Opening ceremony for the On-site Laboratory “International Laboratory for Earthquake and Tsunami Risk Cognition and Reduction” (iLETs), held at the University of El Salvador
On May 12, 2025, the University of El Salvador hosted the opening ceremony for the satellite office of the On-site Laboratory “International Laboratory for Earthquake and Tsunami Risk Cognition and Reduction” (iLETs). This Kyoto University satellite laboratory, which joins the iLETs On-site laboratory inaugurated in 2024 at the National Autonomous University of Mexico, will conduct research activities in collaboration with the SATREPS Project “Compound Disaster Risk Reduction associated with Large Earthquakes and Tsunamis,” currently taking place in Mexico and El Salvador.
The opening ceremony was attended by Juan Rosa Quintanilla, Rector of the University of El Salvador; Nelson Bernabé Granados Alvarados, Dean of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences; and Hiromi Nai, Chief Representative of JICA El Salvador Office. Representing Kyoto University were Associate Professor Genta Nakano, Principal Investigator of the SATREPS Project, and Associate Professor Tomoaki Nishikawa, both from the Disaster Prevention Research Institute. Rector Quintanilla expressed gratitude for the collaborative efforts of the SATREPS project and anticipated the strengthening of this effort through the satellite office of the On-site Laboratory.
After the ceremony, Associate Professor Nishikawa presented findings on tectonic plate slip behavior based on seismic activity near El Salvador. Similarly, Associate Professor Nakano highlighted advancements in risk communication since the 1995 Kobe Earthquake. He stressed the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration across natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences to advance comprehensive disaster risk reduction research.
