ATMetC Tokyo Metropolitan Area Team (TMAT)
Japan Meteorological Agency

Air Traffic Meteorology Center

TMAT, located at Tokyo International Airport, monitors
weather and provides detailed forecasts of conditions inairspace and at airports in the Tokyo metropolitan area.

History of ATMetC

Oct. 2003

ATMetC preparatory office established within the Aeronautical Meteorology
Division of the Administration Department.

Apr. 2005

Duties of the ATMetC preparatory office transferred to the Forecast Division ofthe Forecast Department; office relocated to current site in Fukuoka.

Jul. 2005

Office of Aviation Weather Forecasting established within the Forecast Division ofthe Forecast Department.
ATMetC preparatory office placed under the Office of Aviation Weather Forecasting.

Oct. 2005

ATMetC founded within the Office of Aviation Weather Forecasting; partial
operation (briefing and other work) begun.

Feb. 2006

All ATMetC operations in connection with initiation of full operation at the Air Traffic
Management Center (ATMC; part of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transportand Tourism) begun.
ATMetC Tokyo Metropolitan Area Team (TMAT) established at Tokyo International
Airport; operation begun.

Apr. 2014

Headquarters

ForecastDepartment

Organizational Chart

Air Traffic Management Center
Operation room
Foreground:
Meteorology Section

Administration
Division

Forecast
Division

Office ofAviation Weather Forecasting

Numerical Prediction
Division

Aviation Weather Forecast Center

Information and Communications
Technology Division

Air Traffic Meteorology Center(ATMetC)

ATMetC Tokyo
Metropolitan Area Team(TMAT)

Air Traffic Meteorology Center, Office of Aviation Weather Forecasting,
Forecast Division, Forecast Department, Japan Meteorological Agency
1302-17 Kosenuki nata Higashi-ku Fukuoka 811-0204, JapanThe JMA mascot“Harerun”

http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html

March 2016

The Air Traffic Meteorology Center (ATMetC)
supports the safety and efficiency ofaircraft operationby providing meteorological information

Air Traffic Management
utilizing Meteorological Information

Air Traffic Meteorology Center(ATMetC)

Air Traffic Management Center(ATMC)

Provision of meteorological information
to support Air Traffic Management
Damage to radio facility
caused by significant
weather phenomenon↓
Enhancement ofradio facility monitoring

As air traffic volumes increase,even congestion at a single airport
or localized significant weather
phenomena can affect air traffic
nationwide.

Centralized air traffic management
throughout Japan
Airport capacity reduction
due to significant
weather phenomenon↓Ground Stop or similar

Meteorological information onmajor airports and air routes is very
important in Air Traffic
Management (ATM).
ATMetC provides meteorologicalinformation to support ATM on a24-hour basis.

Collection of
Increased controller workload
meteorological information
due to detour to avoid significant
throughout Japan
weather phenomenon↓
Assignment of departure time
Pre-departure coordination forflight route and other measures

Monitoring and forecasting
significant weather at major airports
and within air routes

Air traffic volumes are increasing
today due to rising demand for air
travel/transportation.
Increased airborne
holding due to significant
weather phenomenon
at an airport↓Adjustment of aircraft
speed/spacing
and other measures

In order to respond to this demand,
ATMC works to ensure air traffic
safety and improve flight efficiency via
the integration of the three functions
shown in the figure below.

Airspace management(effective airspace use)

Diversion occurrence↓
Securement of a spotat an alternative airport

Air Traffic Management
utilizing meteorological information
30
2724211815

Japan Civil
Aviation Bureau

Provision ofMeteorological
Information
ATMetCATM Officer
ATM Information Officer
ATM Engineering Officer

630

Air traffic flow

Oceanic ATM(expansion of airspacecapacity and improvement(creation ofof flight efficiency over theappropriate traffic flow)
Pacific Ocean)Collaborative Decision Making(CDM)
Ministry of Defense
Liaison Officer

Examples of products provided by ATMetC

Sharing of information in meetings

ATMC Operation Room

ATMetC provides precise information as necessary on significant weather
phenomena such as thunderstorms, strong winds and heavy snow that may
affect air traffic flow. The ATM officer conducts air traffic management inreference to this information, which is also shared via TV conferencing or similar
channels with air traffic service providers, airlines and other related parties.

International collaboration
with related institutions
from other countries

It is important that all related parties
share necessary information andmake collaborative decisions in orderto achieve ATM effectively andsmoothly.
Personnel from the Civil Aviation
Bureau, from Japan’s Ministry ofDefense and from the Japan
Meteorological Agency work together
in a single operation room.

Meteorological information is displayed on large
screens in the ATMC operation room

This product shows the area and time in relation to theprobability of significant weather phenomena affecting
ATM (probability: red > yellow > blue > white)

9management

Weather Briefing for ATM Officers

Air Traffic Meteorological category forecast

12

Collaboration
with airlines

ATMC also shares information andcollaborates with related overseasorganizations and airlines for safe,
efficient aircraft operation.