I came across this article while searching for envirnomental hazards. Apparently Japanese scientists are in the process of making a tornado simulator, in efforts to mitigate disaster. According to the hindustan times website, the simulator is 5 meters around and 2.5 meters tall. It can create winds strong enough to create an F3 tornado. These scientists plan on building model houses to test structural integrity. I think that this an interesting mitigation effort, and I wonder if the U.S. has ever applied any similar efforts since we have more tornados. Also I think it is interesting how much effort Japanese scientists are putting into tornado mitigation research considering the fact that earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanos are just, if not more, frequent. However, the articles do hint that tornadoes are becoming more of a problem in Japan. Also this may have something to do with the fact that the low frequency of events tends to mean that they produce a higher magnitude. While the frequency of tornadoes in Japan is not low by any means, it is certainly lower than that of the U.S. So tornadoes in Japan might be more dangerous than they are in the southern portions of the U.S.
Articles about the tornado simulator in Japan:
http://www.hindustantimes.com/Artificial-tornadoes-being-created-in-Japan/Article1-634599.aspx
http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report_artificial-tornadoes-developed-to-test-japanese-homes_1478015
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