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Japan Meteorological Agency
Kishō-chō (気象庁)
	Logo
	; Headquarters building in Tokyo
Agency overview
Formed	July 1, 1956; 68 years ago
Preceding agencies	Tokyo Meteorological Observatory; Central Meteorological Observatory;
Jurisdiction	Government of Japan
Headquarters	3-6-9 Toranomon, Minato City, Tokyo, Japan; 35°39′57″N 139°44′45″E / 35.66583°N 139.74583°E
Employees	5,539 (2010)
Annual budget	¥62.0 billion (2010–11); ¥59.0 billion (2011–12); ¥58.9 billion (est. 2012)
Agency executives	Toshihiko Hashida, Director-General; Itaru Kaga, Deputy Director-General;
Parent agency	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
Website	jma.go.jp

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

The Japan Meteorological Agency (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.^[1] One of these was the Tokyo Meteorological Observatory (東京気象台, Tōkyō Kishō-dai), which since 1956 has been known as the Japan Meteorological Agency (気象庁, Kishō-chō). It was originally formed within the Survey Division of the Geography Bureau of the Home Ministry (内務省地理寮量地課, Naimu-shō Chiri-ryō Ryōchi-ka).^[1]^[4] 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 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省, Kokudo-kōtsū-shō). Its headquarters have also changed several times, and as of November 24, 2020, they are now located in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo.^[5]

Timeline

August 26, 1872 – The first weather station in Japan was set up in Hakodate, Hokkaido. It is the precursor of the present Hakodate Weather Station (函館海洋気象台, Hakodate Kaiyō Kishō-dai).^[1]
June 1875 – The original Tokyo Meteorological Observatory (東京気象台, Tōkyō Kishō-dai) was formed within the Survey Division of the Geography Bureau of the Home Ministry (内務省地理寮量地課, Naimu-shō Chiri-ryō Ryōchi-ka).^[1]^[4]
January 1, 1887 – The Tokyo Meteorological Observatory was renamed as the Central Meteorological Observatory (中央気象台, Chūō Kishō-dai), with the transfer of its jurisdiction to the Home Ministry.
April 1895 – The Ministry of Education (文部省, Monbushō) 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.^[6]
November 1943 – The Ministry of Transport and Communications (運輸通信省, Un'yu Tūshin-shō) took over Central Meteorological Observatory operation.
May 1945 – JMA became part of the Ministry of Transport (運輸省, Un'yu-shō).
July 1, 1956 – The Central Meteorological Observatory became an agency of the Ministry of Transport, and has been renamed to the Japan Meteorological Agency (気象庁, Kishō-chō).
March 1964 – The headquarters office was relocated to Ōtemachi, Chiyoda-ku.
January 6, 2001 – The JMA became an agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (国土交通省, Kokudo-kōtsū-shō) with the Japanese government reformation. ^[7]^[8]
2013 – It was announced that it would be scheduled to move the headquarters into Toranomon, Minato-ku.^[6]
November 24, 2020 - JMA moved to its new headquarters in Toranomon, Minato-ku.^[5]

Services

Overview

The JMA is responsible for observing, gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts, and warning for earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons and volcanic eruptions.^[9]

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.^[9]

In 1968, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) designated the JMA as a Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre (RSMC) for Asia.^[10] In June 1988, the WMO also assigned the JMA as a RSMC for the Northwestern Pacific under its Tropical Cyclone programme.^[10] 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.^[11]

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.^[12]

Earthquakes

The JMA has 624 observation stations across Japan^[13] which are set up at intervals of 20 km approximately^[14] in order to measure the seismic intensity of earthquakes precisely. The agency also utilizes about 2,900 seismographs^[13] 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).^[15] 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.^[16]

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

Headquarters

JMA Headquarters (気象庁本庁, Kishō-chō Honchō)
Director-General (長官, Chōkan)
Deputy Director-General (次長, Jichō)
Deputy Director-General for Disaster Mitigation (気象防災監, Kishō-Bousaikan)
- Administration Department (総務部, Sōmu-bu)
  - Counselors (参事官, Sanjikan)
- Information Infrastructure Department (情報基盤部, Johō-kiban-bu)
- Atmosphere and Ocean Department (大気海洋部, Taiki-kaiyō-bu)
- Seismology and Volcanology Department (地震火山部, Jishin-kazan-bu)

Local offices

Local Offices (地方支分部局, Chihō Shibun Bukyoku)
- 6 Regional Headquarters
  - Sapporo Regional Headquarters (札幌管区気象台, Sapporo Kanku Kishō-dai)
    - 6 Local Meteorological Observatories (地方気象台, Chihō Kishō-dai)
    - 1 Weather Station (測候所, Sokkōjo)
    - 1 Aviation Weather Station (航空測候所, Kōkū Sokkōjo)
  - Sendai Regional Headquarters (仙台管区気象台, Sendai Kanku Kishō-dai)
    - 5 Local Meteorological Observatories (地方気象台, Chihō Kishō-dai)
    - 1 Aviation Weather Station (航空測候所, Kōkū Sokkōjo)
  - Tokyo Regional Headquarters (東京管区気象台, Tokyo Kanku Kishō-dai)
    - 16 Local Meteorological Observatories (地方気象台, Chihō Kishō-dai)
    - 3 Aviation Weather Service Centers (航空地方気象台, Kōkū Chihō Kisyō-dai)
  - Osaka Regional Headquarters (大阪管区気象台, Osaka Kanku Kishō-dai)
    - 13 Local Meteorological Observatories (地方気象台, Chihō Kishō-dai)
    - 1 Aviation Weather Service Center (航空地方気象台, Kōkū Chihō Kisyō-dai)
  - Fukuoka Regional Headquarters (福岡管区気象台, Fukuoka Kanku Kishō-dai)
    - 7 Local Meteorological Observatories (地方気象台, Chihō Kishō-dai)
    - 1 Weather Station (測候所, Sokkōjo)
    - 1 Aviation Weather Service Center (航空地方気象台, Kōkū Chihō Kisyō-dai)
  - Okinawa Regional Headquarters (沖縄気象台, Okinawa Kishō-dai)
    - 3 Local Meteorological Observatories (地方気象台, Chihō Kishō-dai)
    - 1 Aviation Weather Station (航空測候所, Kōkū Sokkōjo)

Auxiliary organs

Auxiliary Organs (施設等機関, Shisetsu-tō Kikan)
- Meteorological Research Institute (気象研究所, Kishō Kenkyūjo)
- Meteorological Satellite Center (気象衛星センター, Kishō-eisei Sentā)
- Aerological Observatory (高層気象台, Kōsō Kishō-dai)
- Magnetic Observatory (地磁気観測所, Chijiki Kansokujo)
- Meteorological College (気象大学校, Kishō Daigakkō)

Directors-General and Chief Executives

Chief Executives of Central Meteorological Observatory

Arai Ikunosuke (荒井郁之助): 1890–1891
Kobayashi Kazutomo (小林一知): 1891–1895
Nakamura Kiyoo (中村精男): 1895–1923
Okada Takematsu (岡田武松): 1923–1941
Fujiwhara Sakuhei (藤原咲平): 1941–1947
Wadachi Kiyoo (和達清夫): 1947–1956

Directors-General of JMA

Wadachi Kiyoo (和達清夫): 1956–1963
Hatakeyama Hisanao (畠山久尚): 1963–1965
Shibata Yoshiji (柴田淑次): 1965–1969
Yoshitake Motoji (吉武素二): 1969–1971
Takahashi Koūchirō (高橋浩一郎): 1971–1974
Mouri Keitarō (毛利圭太郎): 1974–1976
Arizumi Naosuke (有住直介): 1976–1978
Kubota Masaya (窪田正八): 1978–1980
Masuzawa Jōtarō (増澤譲太郎): 1980–1983
Suehiro Shigeji (末廣重二): 1983–1985
Uchida Eiji (内田英治): 1985–1987
Kikuchi Yukio (菊地幸雄): 1987–1990
Tatehira Ryōzō (立平良三): 1990–1992
Nitta Takashi (新田尚): 1992–1993
Ninomiya Kōzō (二宮洸三): 1993–1996
Ono Toshiyuki (小野俊行): 1996–1998
Takigawa Yūsō (瀧川雄壮): 1998–2000
Yamamoto Kōji (山本孝二): 2000–2003
Kitade Takeo (北出武夫): 2003–2004
Nagasaka Kōichi (長坂昴一): 2004–2006
Hiraki Satoshi (平木哲): 2006–2009
Sakurai Kunio (櫻井邦雄): 2009–2011
Hatori Mitsuhiko (羽鳥光彦): 2011–2014
Nishide Noritake (西出則武): 2014–2016
Hashida Toshihiko (橋田俊彦): 2016–2019
Sekita Yasuo (関田康雄): 2019–2021
Hasegawa Naoyuki (長谷川直之): 2021-present

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e 総合パンフレット「気象庁」 (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 31, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
^ 平成23年度気象庁関係予算決定概要 (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. December 24, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
^ ^a ^b 平成24年度気象庁関係予算決定概要 (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. December 24, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
^ ^a ^b Kan'ichi Koinuma (March 1969). 内務省における気象観測の開始の経緯と気象台の名称 (PDF) (in Japanese). Meteorological Society of Japan. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "Access to JMA Headquarters". Japan Meteorological Agency. November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020. JMA Headquarters moved on 24 November 2020.
^ ^a ^b 気象庁庁舎移転後の新しい露場を選定 (PDF) (in Japanese). Japan Meteorological Agency. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
^ "Gfdrr.org" (PDF).
^ "Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)". European Environment Agency. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Japan Meteorological Agency: The national meteorological service of Japan" (PDF). Japan Meteorological Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 13, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Cooperation through WMO and Other Multilateral Activities". Japan Meteorological Agency. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
^ Japan Meteorological Organization (February 2001). "Annual Report on Activities of the RSMC Tokyo – Typhoon Center 2000" (PDF). Retrieved November 21, 2011.
^ RSMC Tokyo – Typhoon Center
^ ^a ^b "Table of Observation Stations" (PDF). The Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion (of Japan). September 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2012.
^ Jochen Zschau; Andreas N. Küppers, eds. (2002). Early Warning Systems for Natural Disaster Reduction. Springer. p. 449. ISBN 978-3-540-67962-2.
^ Corkill, Edan (April 10, 2011). "Japan's seismic nerve center". Japan Times. p. 7. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
^ "Organizations with ties to CCEP". CCEP. Retrieved March 19, 2011.