Japan Meteorological Agency
Encyclopedia
Government of Japan
The government of Japan is a constitutional monarchy where the power of the Emperor is very limited. As a ceremonial figurehead, he is defined by the 1947 constitution as "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people". Power is held chiefly by the Prime Minister of Japan and other elected...
weather service. Charged with gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts in Japan, it is a semi-autonomous part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. It is also responsible for observation and warning of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions
Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic Eruptions is a company owned by Crispin Glover. The company produces and issues Glover's work: It has released two films to date, What Is It? and its sequel, It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE . Its current plans include releasing the final film in the trilogy titled It Is Mine...
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Headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo
Chiyoda, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...
, the agency has six regional administrative offices. Four Marine Observatories, five auxiliary facilities, four Aviation Weather Service Centers and 47 Local Meteorological Observatories are also used to gather data, supplemented by weather satellite
Weather satellite
The weather satellite is a type of satellite that is primarily used to monitor the weather and climate of the Earth. Satellites can be either polar orbiting, seeing the same swath of the Earth every 12 hours, or geostationary, hovering over the same spot on Earth by orbiting over the equator while...
s and research centers.
In June 1988, the World Meteorological Organization
World Meteorological Organization
The World Meteorological Organization is an intergovernmental organization with a membership of 189 Member States and Territories. It originated from the International Meteorological Organization , which was founded in 1873...
designated the JMA as a Regional Specialized Meteorological Center
Regional Specialized Meteorological Center
A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre is responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding the specific program they have a part of, agreed by consensus at the World Meteorological Organization as part of the World Weather Watch.-Tropical...
. In July 1989, the Tokyo - Typhoon Center was established within the JMA, which dealt with the forecasting and dissemination of active tropical cyclones, as well as preparing a summary of each year's cyclone activity.
The JMA also operates the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre
Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre
A Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre is responsible for the distribution of information, advisories, and warnings regarding the specific program they have a part of, agreed by consensus at the World Meteorological Organization as part of the World Weather Watch.-Tropical...
for the Northwestern Pacific and issues advisories on tropical cyclone
Tropical cyclone
A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a large low-pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and heavy rain. Tropical cyclones strengthen when water evaporated from the ocean is released as the saturated air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapor...
s in the area.
The JMA has 627 observation points across the nation that measure seismic intensity. A 24-hour office monitors the Earthquake Phenomena Observation System which is used to track and report seismic activity throughout Japan.
The Agency is represented on the national Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction
Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction
The Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction in Japan was founded in April 1969, as part of the Geodesy Council's Second Earthquake Prediction Plan, in order to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of earthquake data in Japan. The committee consists of 30 members and meets four times each...
.
See also
- AMeDASAMeDASAMeDAS , commonly known in Japanese as "アメダス" , is a high-resolution surface observation network developed by Japan Meteorological Agency used for gathering regional weather data and verifying forecast performance...
, Automated Meteorological Data Acquisition System, developed by JMA - Tokyo District Meteorological ObservatoryTokyo District Meteorological Observatoryis the Tokyo-area regional observatory of the Japan Meteorological Agency. It is located at the JMA headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo.In 2003 the observatory procured six units of magnetron.-External links:*...
- Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scaleJapan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scaleThe Japan Meteorological Agency seismic intensity scale is a seismic scale used in Japan and Taiwan to measure the intensity of earthquakes. It is measured in units of...