Professor Emeritus Masaharu Fujita Honoured with the 2025 Prime Minister’s Commendation for Disaster Prevention
- Award
Professor Emeritus Masaharu Fujita was honorary recipient of the 2025 Prime Minister’s Commendation for Disaster Prevention at the Prime Minister’s Office of Japan on 17 September 2025.
Details of the accolade are as follows:
Name of Recipient: Professor Emeritus Masaharu Fujita (currently Research Advisor, Japan Society of Erosion Control Engineering (SABO) and Landslide Technical Center.
Name of Award: 2025 Prime Minister’s Commendation for Disaster Prevention – Landslide Prevention Activities (Individual) [Establishment of Disaster Prevention Systems]
Reason for Award:
During Prof. Fujita’s affiliation with the Kyoto University spanning over many years, he has triumphed with numerous research achievements in erosion control science, and contributed significantly to improving regional disaster prevention capabilities. In particular, he developed the Storm Induced Multi‐Hazard Information Simulator (SiMHiS), the sediment dynamics analysis model, a support tool for evacuation warnings and evacuation, predicting the occurrence of hazards that affect evacuation behavior under various rainfall patterns. This simulator is also utilized in pre-disaster prevention activities in local and regional areas, significantly contributing to improving regional disaster prevention capabilities.
He has also participated in numerous committees, primarily for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism and prefectures in the Kinki region, providing precise technical and academic advice and guidance based on the latest research results and advanced knowledge, making significant contributions to the planning and implementation of more effective erosion control measures.
He has published extensively in academic journals including the Journal of the Erosion Control Society. Furthermore, he has implemented high-quality education materials and systems at universities, which has produced many excellent erosion control engineers. He has delivered keynote speeches at various symposia and academic conferences, and given lectures and explanations on landslide disasters, thereby contributing to the transfer of his technical skills to young researchers and engineers through lectures and public relations activities.
In addition, as President of the Japan Society of Erosion Control Engineering from 2020 to 2022, he organized reconnaissance teams after disasters and led on-site investigations of landslides that occurred throughout Japan, organized emergency investigation teams, and compiled and published reports based on these investigations, contributing to the study of disaster causes and future countermeasures. He has significantly contributed to the field of erosion control science and disaster control mechanisms.
Award Date: 17 September 2025
出典：首相官邸ホームページ（https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/103/actions/202509/17hyousyou.html）
Source: Prime Minister’s Office Website (https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/103/actions/202509/17hyousyou.html)