Japan Meteorological Agency

The , abbreviated JMA, is an agency of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It is charged with gathering and providing results for the public in Japan that are obtained from data based on daily scientific observation and research into natural phenomena in the fields of meteorology, hydrology, seismology and volcanology, among other related scientific fields. Its headquarters is located in Minato, Tokyo. JMA is responsible for gathering and reporting weather data and forecasts for the general public, as well as providing aviation and marine weather data. JMA's other responsibilities include issuing warnings for volcanic eruptions and the nationwide issuance of earthquake warnings of the Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system. JMA is also designated one of the Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It is responsible for forecasting, naming, and distributing warnings for tropical cyclones in the Northwestern Pacific region, including 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 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.