Several fault-drilling projects have been conducted with the common aim of seeking direct access to zones of active faulting and understanding the fundamental processes governing earthquakes and fault behavior, as well as the factors that control their natural variability. Here, we review recent scientific drilling projects related to the Nojima Fault which slipped during the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake, the Chelungpu Fault which slipped during the 1999 Taiwan Chi-Chi earthquake, the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth, and the Nankai Trough Seismogenic Zone Experiment. We also briefly introduce the ongoing drilling research by the Geophysical Observatory at the North Anatolian Fault Zone, the Deep Fault Drilling Project at the Alpine Fault, and the Japan Trench Fast Drilling Project.
 One of the main findings of fault-drilling research is a better understanding of the physico-chemical processes of the primary slip zone during an earthquake, which is closely related to the mechanism of dynamic fault weakening. In the case of the Chelungpu fault, integrated research with borehole experiments, core sample analyses, and numerical simulations were performed, and the results indicate that thermal pressurization occurred during the 1999 earthquake, explaining the peculiar seismic behavior during the earthquake. These fault-drilling projects related to active faults certainly improve our knowledge and understanding of earthquakes.
 In addition, we discuss new technical problems related to handling core samples, identifying the latest slip zone, and overprinting by ancient earthquake events.