About JMBSCThe Japan Meteorological Business Support Center (JMBSC) is a general incorporated foundation*
inaugurated in 1994, in accordance with the Meteorological Service Act of Japan, under thesupervision of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), National Meteorological Service of Japan.
*A 'general incorporated foundation' is an organ officially registered with the government to ensure a variety of services on a non-profit basis.

JMBSC aims at supporting the sound development of meteorological services in the private sector andthe efforts by the authorities concerned towards the promotion of public welfare such as
prevention/mitigation of natural hazards and prosperity of socio-economic activities, and offeringresearch and international cooperation.

JMBSC Services
Since its inauguration, JMBSC has provided a wide-range of services, particularly in the following five
major fields:
1. Dissemination of meteorological data, products and information generated by JMA on bothreal-time and non-real-time bases to user communities;
2. National examination for Certified Weather Forecasters;
3. Official verification of the meteorological instruments;
4. International cooperation to support Official Development Assistance (ODA) and otherrelevant activities;
5. Promotion of meteorological researches (ex., climate change and severe weather); and6. Other services relevant to promotion of meteorological services in the private sector andthe authorities concerned (ex., education and training, and consultancy).

Dissemination of MeteorologicalData, Products and Information
In 1993, JMA established a policy to widely open avariety of meteorological information prepared by JMA
to the private sector, the mass media and other parties
with the amendment of the Metrological Service Act.
JMBSC has been officially designated as a uniqueauthorizedorganization
todisseminate
themeteorological data, products and information tovarious users at marginal cost. The dissemination iscarried out on a real-time basis through the network
server system operated by JMBSC and in the form ofrecording media such as HD/DVD/CD-ROM.

c. Imagery data by the Geostationary Meteorological
Satellite “Himawari-8/9” operated by JMA;
d. Weather forecasts, advisories and warnings;
e. Short-range forecasts, nowcast and maps ofhazard risks;
f. Seismic monitoring data and tsunami warnings,and Earthquake early warnings;
g. Volcanic monitoring data and warnings: andh. Marine
meteorological,oceanographic,andenvironmental monitoring and prediction.

1. Real-time Dissemination
The following meteorological information by JMA are
disseminated to hundreds of national/international
users under contract with JMBSC on a real-time basis
through a dedicated line, the Virtual Private Network(VPN), and others:
a. Meteorological observation and analysis data,
including those of the Automated Meteorological
Data Acquisition System (AMeDAS) andweather radars;b. Grid Point Value (GPV) data of numerical weather
prediction (NWP) models including objectiveanalysis and climate prediction;

Real-time Data Dissemination Operation

2. Non-real-time Disseminationa.
b.

Observation data and meteorological satellite
imagery, and statistical reports, andObjective analysis products including reanalysis with the numerical models of JMA.

The non-real-time dissemination service is available
upon request in the form of HD, DVD and CD-ROM by
surface mail.

Meteorological Satellite
Dissemination System
has been operated at
the Meteorological
Satellite Center (JMA)
since July 2015 toprovide Himawari-8/9
imageries to users.

JMBSC Data Dissemination Diagram operated at JMA HQ (Tokyo) and Osaka Regional HQ

National Examination for Certified
Weather Forecasters
Further to weather forecasting services for the generalpublic, JMA is in a position to exclusively issue thewarnings as a single authoritative voice of the nation.
On the other hand, private weather companies andparties other than JMA are obliged to be authorized by
the Director-General of JMA so as to conduct their own
forecasting services, where the weather forecasts must
be prepared by Certified Weather Forecasters qualified
by JMA. Such a certification system allows the private
weather forecasting companies to provide the public
and private sectors and industries with more useroriented and individually tailored weather forecasts.

Verification of the Meteorological
Instruments

Verification of a Wind Vane/AnemometerWith the designation of the Director-General of JMA,JMBSC is responsible for the national examination forCertified Weather Forecasters. The examination of basic
meteorological knowledge and forecasting techniques is
executed twice a year to present the official qualificationof the Government of Japan. In 2019, around 300
people passed the examination.
Today, a number of Certified Weather Forecasters areactively involved in the weather forecasting in private
weather companies separately from JMA, such as theweathercasterson
TV/radio/web, consultantsonapplication
ofmeteorological information,and promulgation of weather
information and knowledge.
Inspection Certificate

In order to maintain the meteorological observation
accurate, consistent and valid, the verification ofmeteorological instruments is indispensable. In Japan,
it is regulated that official meteorological observations
shall be performed with the officially verified
instruments in compliance with the Meteorological
Service Act of Japan. While JMA has the responsibility
for the verification of meteorological instruments as thenational authority, the individual verification tests andissuance of certificates of instruments for surface andupper-air observations are carried out by JMBSC, withthe authorization by JMA, in accordance with theprocedures and guidelines established by JMA.
For each qualified instrument, a verification/inspection
certificate is issued in Japanese, with English translation
if necessary, at marginal cost. Every year, JMBSC issues
around 11,000 to 14,000 certificates of instruments.

International Cooperation
International cooperation is conducted through theinternational development cooperation projects by theJapan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) andothers in more than 20 countries.

Development Cooperation Projects(funded by JICA and others)

JICA Training on
cyclone monitoring
and forecast inMozambique

Promotion of MeteorologicalResearches
JMBSC carries out two projects
to promotemeteorological researches, and to tackle scientificunderstanding and prediction of climate change andsevere weather, in cooperation with research groups of
the Meteorological Research Institute (MRI)/JMA,
universities and research institutes in Japan, and withoverseas researchers and institutes.
The 1st project is “Integrated
Climate Change Projection“ asone of components in the“Integrated Climate Model
Advanced Research Program (TOUGOU)”, under the
grant of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology (MEXT) for FY 2017-2021.
The 2nd project is “Large Ensemble
Atmospheric and Environmental
Prediction” for severe weather
under the Program for Promoting
Researches on the Supercomputer“FUGAKU” by MEXT for FY 20202022.
Himawari-8 Imagery

In collaboration with JMA, JMBSC provides support for
Official Development Assistance (ODA) activities of theGovernment of Japan for the enhancement of National
Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) andthe relevant authorities related to earthquake andtsunami monitoring in the world.

JICA Training inJMA
Instrument
Center(RIC/Tukuba)(RaingaugeCalibration)

International Workshop on Climate Downscaling
Studies, Tsukuba on 2-4 October 2017

Other services
1. Education and Training
JMBSC provides basic and practical training courses on
weather/climate monitoring and forecast. Several spot
seminars are organized to transfer forecast techniques
newly developed by JMA to the private weather
forecasting industry.

3. Consulting Services
JMBSC conducts the following consulting services for theenhancement of meteorological and environmental
services of the private sector and the relevant
authorities:••

Consultancy for the contents and utilizations of
distributing data and information provided
through JMBSC; andWeather-related
practicalresearchanddevelopment with the relevant authorities
concerned to the promotion of public welfare.

Seminar on Latest Forecast Techniques

2. Publication Services
JMBSC carries out reprint services of JMA's publications
and issuance of JMBSC original publications (e.g., Japan
Meteorological Yearbook).

Observation on Heat Illness Prevention

ContactYour inquiry and order are to be addressed by e-mail in English to:
JMBSC International Service Officer.

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Address: Japan Meteorological Business Support Center To-nen
Bld., 3-17 Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 101-0054 Japan
E-mail: jmbsc@jmbsc.or.jp
Tel: +81-3-5281-0440
Fax: +81-3-5281-0445
URL: http://www.jmbsc.or.jp/en/index-e.html (in English)
URL: http://www.jmbsc.or.jp (in Japanese)(Renewed on 1 August 2020)