What is the FOREST Program? — Introduction to the Program and Research to Uncover Records of Past Tsunamis —

Tetsuya Shinozaki
Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University

In FY2026, my research project, “Reconstructing the Future of Large Tsunamis from Micro-, Molecular-, and Genetic-Level Evidence,” started with support from the JST Fusion Oriented Research for Disruptive Science and Technology (FOREST) Program. This project aims to more accurately reconstruct the magnitude and ages of past large tsunamis from their traces preserved in geological records.
Tsunami deposits, sediments transported and deposited by tsunamis, have been widely used to investigate past large tsunamis. Their distribution and ages provide important information about the magnitude and recurrence history of past tsunamis. However, many challenges remain, including tsunami traces that cannot be identified using conventional methods and large uncertainties in age estimates. In the FOREST project, I aim to address these problems using new approaches based on indicators that have not yet been fully utilized in tsunami research, including microfossils, biomarkers, environmental DNA, and tree rings.
Japan experienced one of the largest tsunamis of the 21st century, and there is great significance in developing new approaches to tsunami research from Japan. Interdisciplinary research is essential for this purpose. I therefore work together with researchers from different fields, local experts, and sometimes local residents. My goal is to understand the enormous phenomenon of tsunamis from micro-, molecular-, and genetic-level evidence. By crossing disciplinary boundaries and connecting scientific research with local knowledge, I hope to uncover records of large tsunamis buried in geological strata.

Tsunami boulder on Ishigaki Island. In the FOREST project, in contrast to such large and visible evidence, I aim to detect “invisible tsunami traces” at the micro-, molecular-, and genetic levels.

Field survey of tsunami deposits. Researchers from different disciplines, geopark specialists, and members of the local board of education discuss the geological evidence together in the field.

Sampling of a tree preserved by a local resident. The tree may have been buried by a past tsunami, and samples are collected for age determination.