this is the volcano and earthquake monitoring room at the japan meteorological agency. dy to raise the alarm should anything be expected. translation: the japan meteorological agency are tasked with raising the alarm in event of earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. and now new research is bringing that rapid response to other types of extreme weather as well. japan's geography means flash floods can happen in minutes. translation: 20,000 rivers are recorded and assessed in this country and i think this is unheard of in any other country. injapan, landslides and flooding have ta ken many lives. even in recent years. advancements in radar sensor accuracy and map data means the system can raise the alert about dangerous flooding in near real time. every ten minutes if they need it. slowly but surely researchers across japan are understanding how these seemingly untameable natural events work. and each time they do it makes the people of japan a little safer. one of the memories that will always stay with me is our visit to the fukushima daiichi nuclear plant that w