Deep sea research effort of Japan focused on oceanic lithosphere dynamics

Recent scientific seafaring activities of Japan in the solid Earth sciences are described. The main workers in this field are the Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo and Japan Marine Science and Technology Center. The framework of the research is focused mostly on the dynamic behavior of the oceanic lithosphere. Special interests are focused on the birth, growth and death of the oceanic lithosphere from oceanic ridge system to oceanic large province (super plume) and to the seismogenic zones of the subducting plate at the edge of the continents. Development of new initiatives of global networking of the eco-monitoring systems and ocean drilling issues are also briefly described.