Introduction & Policy Outline

In the Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences, we promote high-level education and advanced research in Earth and Planetary sciences, through cooperation with the Department of Geophysics and the Department of Geology and Mineralogy.

Earth and Planetary sciences have extended remarkably in recent years. In our division the scope of research has been broadened in space and time from microscopic to global scales, in the history and evolutionary processes of the Earth and the Solar System over 4.6 billion years. Global warming and disaster prevention science are important branches of our division. It is important not only to master individual technical skills but also to have a wide knowledge and interaction with other scientific fields in order to clarify complicated phenomena inside and outside of the Earth itself, and to pioneer and develop new areas of research. From this standpoint, the Division of Earth and Planetary Sciences places an emphasis on interdisciplinary research and education with cross-sectional fields, as well as continuing and developing original research subjects and methods in each discipline.