How the ETAS models were created, used, and evolved – Personal views and perspectives

Statistical seismology originated in Japan 130 years ago. Through the marriage with stochastic point processes in about half a century, we can now provide on-line estimation, real-time forecasting and direct diagnosis of seismic activity. This manuscript describes the origin and recent development of the ETAS models, their relationship to forecasting problems, and their diagnostic studies of the physical phenomena of seismic activity. I will take this opportunity to focus on my research experiences and views.