The DCRC was established in 1990 by combining the Experimental Station of Earthquake Structures and the Experimental Station of Tsunami into one center with two laboratories.

The DCRC has made intensive investigations and research on natural disasters in and outside of Japan such as Earthquake and Tsunami in Hokkaido in July 1993, The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake in January 1995 and Earthquake and Tsunami in Flores Island of Indonesia in December 1995. Also the DCRC has proposed disaster control measures and promoted development and systematization of science and technology of disaster control.
In 2000, the DCRC was re-started with three laboratories, Earthquake Disaster Laboratory, Tsunami Engineering Laboratory and Disaster Potential Research Laboratory, as Phase 2.

The DCRC promoted together with Miyagi prefecture and Sendai city “Strategy of Information-sharing and Development on regional disaster prevention for the earthquakes and tsunami in Miyagi in near future“, the project of disaster prevention research promotion acknowledged by Ministry of Education from 2004 till 2006. The DCRC also contributed to research on disasters in India, Turkey and Iran.