About PARI

Our History

Overview

Innovative and Forward-Looking Research on Ports and Airports

The Port and Airport Research Institute (PARI) is a National Research and Development Agency and part of the National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology. Since the launch of the Port and Harbour Laboratory, the predecessor of PARI, as a part of the Railway Technical Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport (MLIT, currently the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism) in 1946, we have been dedicating research and development for ports and airports in order to contribute smooth and efficient construction, and improvement of related technologies.

PARI formulated the medium-to-long term plan in order to achieve the targets set by MLIT, focusing on ways to maximize our achievements in research and development as below.

■Promotion of Cross-sectoral Research of the three former institutes

■Research and Development (R&D) of Technologies Related to Ports, Waterways, Coastlines, and Airports, emphasizing on below research fields:
・Maintenance technologies for ports and airports
・Improving port and airport infrastructure
・Disaster prevention and mitigation
・Creation and utilization of the coastal environment

■Passing on Research Results to Society

■Promotion of Global Strategic Activities

Located in Yokosuka city, Kanagawa prefecture approximately fifty kilometers to the south of Tokyo, PARI operates multiple experimental facilities including a Large Hydro-Geo Flume that is the world’s largest experimental wave flume capable of generating wind waves of maximum 3.5m and tsunami waves of maximum 2.5m. In addition to the facilities, almost eighty researchers, sixteen administrative personnel, and two administrators hold to the highest standards in order to maximize research output for actual projects.

1946	Railway Research Institute was established under the Ministry of Transport (MOT).
1949	Technical Research Section was moved to its current location in Kurihama, Yokosuka city.
1962	Port and Harbour Research Institute of MOT was established. Four divisions were created: General Affairs, Hydraulic Engineering, Soil and Structural, and Machinery.
2001	・The Institute became the Port and Harbor Research Institute under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport due to the central government reform. ・The Institute was divided into Port and Airport Research Institute and National Institute for Land and Infrastructure Management.
2004	Tsunami Research Center was established.
2005	Life Cycle Management (LCM) Research Center for Coastal Infrastructures was established.
2010	Tsunami Research Center was reorganized into Asia-Pacific Center for Coastal Disaster Research.
2011	Conversion from research department systems to research field systems.
2014	Ocean Infrastructure Research Center was established.
2015	Changed from an Independent Administrative Agency to a National Research and Development Agency.
2016	PARI was integrated into the National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology with the National Maritime Research Institute and the Electronic Navigation Research Institute.
2017	・Renamed Asia-Pacific Center for Coastal Disaster Research as International Research Center for Coastal Disasters, Ocean Infrastructure Research Center as Ocean Infrastructure and Offshore Wind Energy Research Center. ・Founded Productivity Improvement Research Center.
2020	・Founded Innovation Promotion Center. ・Founded Infrastructure Digital Transformation Engineering Department and Marine Environment Control System Department
2021	Reorganize Coastal Hydraulic Engineering Department & Coastal and Ocean Development Department.