a. The Head Office for research on earthquakes The experience of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake has led us to create the Head office for earthquake forecasting, an office in the Prime Minister's Office (though the chief is the head of the Science and Technology Agency) under the Special Law on Earthquake Disaster Prevention. This office fortifies cooperation between the different research organisms, such as the Science and Technology Agency, the Meteorology Agency, the National Geographic Authority and universities.
