Japan Meteorological Agency

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA; 気象庁, Kishō-chō) is a division of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism dedicated to the scientific observation and research of natural phenomena. Headquartered in Minato, Tokyo the agency collects data on meteorology, hydrology, seismology, volcanology, and other related fields.

The JMA is responsible for collecting and disseminating weather data and forecasts to the public, as well as providing specialized information for aviation and marine sectors. Additionally, the JMA issues warnings for volcanic eruptions and is integral to the nationwide Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system. As one of the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers designated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the JMA also forecasts, names, and distributes warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northwestern Pacific region. This includes areas such as the Celebes Sea, the Sulu Sea, the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, the Sea of Japan, and the Sea of Okhotsk.

History

Meteorological organizations in Japan have their origins in the 1870s, when the first weather stations started being established in the country. One of these was the , which since 1956 has been known as the . It was originally formed within the . However, jurisdiction over the agency has changed several times over the years, and since the Japanese government reformation in 2001, it has been an agency of the . Its headquarters have also changed several times, and as of November 24, 2020, they are now located in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo.

Timeline

File:Japan Meteorological Agency 2012.JPG

JMA headquarters in Ōtemachi (1964–2020)

• August 26, 1872 – The first weather station in Japan was set up in Hakodate, Hokkaido. It is the precursor of the present .
• June 1875 – The original was formed within the .
• January 1, 1887 – The Tokyo Meteorological Observatory was renamed as the , with the transfer of its jurisdiction to the Home Ministry.
• April 1895 – The replaced the preceding ministry as an administrator of the Observatory.
• January 1, 1923 – The main office was moved to Motoe-machi, Kōjimachi-ku (later Takehira-chō 1). it is located near a moat surrounding the Imperial Palace.
• November 1943 – The took over Central Meteorological Observatory operation.
• May 1945 – JMA became part of the .
• July 1, 1956 – The Central Meteorological Observatory became an agency of the Ministry of Transport, and has been renamed to the .
• March 1964 – The headquarters office was relocated to Ōtemachi, Chiyoda-ku.
• January 6, 2001 – The JMA became an agency of the with the Japanese government reformation.
• 2013 – It was announced that it would be scheduled to move the headquarters into Toranomon, Minato-ku.
• November 24, 2020 - JMA moved to its new headquarters in Toranomon, Minato-ku.

Services

Overview

The JMA is responsible for observing, gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts, and warning for earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and volcanic eruptions.

The agency has six regional administrative offices (including five DMOs and Okinawa Meteorological Observatory), four Marine Observatories, five auxiliary facilities, four Aviation Weather Service Centers and 47 local offices composed of the LMOs. These are also used to gather data, supplemented by weather satellites such as Himawari, and other research institutes.

In 1968, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) designated the JMA as a Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for Asia. In June 1988, the WMO also assigned the JMA as a RSMC for the Northwestern Pacific under its Tropical Cyclone programme. In July 1989, the RSMC Tokyo – Typhoon Center was established within the headquarters office, which dealt with the forecasting and dissemination of active tropical cyclones, as well as preparing a summary of each year's cyclone activity.

Observation and forecast

Weather

Land weather

Each DMO and LMO issues weather forecasts and warnings or advisories to the general public live in its own area. Weather data used to these forecasts are acquired from the Surface Observation (represented by the AMeDAS), the Radar Observation, the Observation and the Satellite Observation mainly using the Himawari series of satellites.

Marine weather

The Marine Observatories are seated in Hakodate, Maizuru, Kobe, Nagasaki. These stations observe ocean waves, tide levels, sea surface temperatures and ocean currents etc. in the Northwestern Pacific basin, as well as the Sea of Japan, the Sea of Okhotsk, and provide marine meteorological forecasts in cooperation with the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department, Japan Coast Guard.

Aviation weather

In 2005, in accordance with the ICAO's new CNS/ATM system, the Civil Aviation Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism set up the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) in Fukuoka, where the FIR is fixed. Along with this establishment, JMA placed the Air Traffic Mateorology Center (ATMetC) inside the ATMC.

The agency forecasts SIGMET for aircraft in flight within the Fukuoka FIR airspace, while VOLMET is broadcast by each Aviation Weather Service Center at the airports of Haneda, Narita, Centrair, and Kansai.

Tropical cyclones

In the Northwestern Pacific area, the typhoon season ordinarily comes almost from May to November. The JMA forecasts and warns or advises on tropical cyclones to the public in Japan and its surrounding countries as the RSMC Tokyo – Typhoon Center.

Earthquakes

The JMA has 624 observation stations across Japan which are set up at intervals of 20 km approximately in order to measure the seismic intensity of earthquakes precisely. The agency also utilizes about 2,900 seismographs owned by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) and local governments. A 24-hour office is housed within the JMA headquarters in Tokyo for monitoring and tracking seismic events in the vicinity of Japan to collect and process their data, which distributes observed earthquake information on its hypocenter, magnitude, seismic intensity and possibility of tsunami occurrence after quakes quickly to the public through the Earthquake Phenomena Observation System (EPOS). The Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system began to work fully for the general public on October 1, 2007.

The agency is one of the representatives of the national Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction.

Tsunamis

In case of a possibility of tsunami after an earthquake, JMA issues Tsunami Warning or Advisory for each region in Japan with information of estimated tsunami heights and arrival times within 2 to 3 minutes of the quake.

Volcanoes

The agency four Volcanic Observations and Information Centers within DMOs in Sapporo, Sendai, Tokyo and Fukuoka. These centers monitor volcanic events on 110 active volcanos in Japan. 47 of these volcanos selected by the Coordinating Committee for Prediction of Volcanic Eruption are under 24-hour observation with seismographs, accelerometers, GPS, air-shock recorders, fixed point observation cameras and other equipment. If it is predicted that a volcanic eruption will affect inhabited areas or around a crater, Volcanic Warnings are issued and supplemented by Volcanic Alert Levels.

Organization

Local offices

• • 6 Regional Headquarters
    • • 6
      • 1
      • 1
    • • 5
      • 1
    • • 16
      • 3
    • • 13
      • 1
    • • 7
      • 1
      • 1
    • • 3
      • 1

Directors-General and Chief Executives

Chief Executives of Central Meteorological Observatory

1. : 1890–1891
2. : 1891–1895
3. : 1895–1923
4. : 1923–1941
5. : 1941–1947
6. : 1947–1956

Directors-General of JMA

1. : 1956–1963
2. : 1963–1965
3. : 1965–1969
4. : 1969–1971
5. : 1971–1974
6. : 1974–1976
7. : 1976–1978
8. : 1978–1980
9. : 1980–1983
10. : 1983–1985
11. : 1985–1987
12. : 1987–1990
13. : 1990–1992
14. : 1992–1993
15. : 1993–1996
16. : 1996–1998
17. : 1998–2000
18. : 2000–2003
19. : 2003–2004
20. : 2004–2006
21. : 2006–2009
22. : 2009–2011
23. : 2011–2014
24. : 2014–2016
25. : 2016–2019
26. : 2019–2021
27. : 2021–present

See also

• 2025 Pacific typhoon season
• Severe weather terminology (Japan)

External links

• Template:Official website
  • Northwest Pacific Tsunami Advisory Center (NWPTAC) (archived 15 April 2012)