The Japanese national earthquake prediction program started in 1962 with a blue print for the scope and direction of research to follow. The program, which lasted till the 1998 7-th program with reviews every 5 years, had been promoting establishment of monitoring systems for crust and mantle activities. The new observation and research program from 1999 to 2008 emphasizes understanding generation mechanisms of an earthquake with a goal of developing a numerical forecast system of state of the crust and the mantle. In 2009 a new integrated program of earthquake prediction and volcanic eruption has started. The program much more emphasizes development of systems for forecast with real time monitoring and modeling of crust and mantle dynamics.