JSRM (The Japanese Society for Rock Mechanics) is a general incorporated association for researchers interested in rock-related topics to exchange information domestically and internationally on rock mechanics and rock engineering. It also represents Japan as a member of the International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (ISRM), promoting international progress and exchange in rock mechanics and contributing to the development of rock mechanics in Japan and all over the world.
In response to the global trend toward rock engineering, in the field of rock engineering in Japan, rock-related researchers from the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, the Mining and Metallurgical Institute of Japan (currently, the Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan (MMIJ)), the Japanese Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering (currently, the Japanese Geotechnical Society (JGS)), and the Society of Materials Science, Japan (JSMS), jointly established the Rock Mechanics Research Liaison Committee in 1964, which began operations as the ISRM Japan National Committee. Subsequently, in order to strengthen the organization in preparation for the ISRM International Symposium Weak Rock – Soft, Fractured and Weathered Rock (1981) to be held in Tokyo, the association changed its name to the “Rock Mechanics Association” on August 23, 1979, and then became a general incorporated association on December 1, 2010, and began new activities.
Currently, the Rock Mechanics Association is organized by four societies: the Japan Society of Civil Engineers, the Japanese Geotechnical Society, the Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan, and the Society of Materials Science, Japan, and is composed of individual and supporting members. As of the end of fiscal year 2024, there are 304 individual members and 36 supporting members. The secretariat is located within the Mining and Materials Processing Institute of Japan.