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| RSMC Tokyo | |
|---|---|
| Name | RSMC Tokyo |
| Native name | Regional Specialized Meteorological Center Tokyo |
| Established | 1959 |
| Jurisdiction | World Meteorological Organization Region V |
| Headquarters | Tokyo |
| Parent agency | Japan Meteorological Agency |
RSMC Tokyo RSMC Tokyo is a Regional Specialized Meteorological Center operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency in Tokyo providing tropical cyclone forecasts, warnings, and post-analysis for the Northwest Pacific Ocean and the South China Sea. It issues advisories that inform International Civil Aviation Organization operations, United Nations disaster mitigation efforts, and national agencies such as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, China Meteorological Administration, and Korea Meteorological Administration. RSMC Tokyo collaborates with international programs including the World Meteorological Organization, the International Maritime Organization, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
RSMC Tokyo functions as one of several Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers designated under the World Meteorological Organization Tropical Cyclone Programme to provide authoritative tropical cyclone track, intensity, and storm surge products for the Western North Pacific Basin, the South China Sea, and adjacent marginal seas. Its products support civil protection agencies like the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Australian Bureau of Meteorology, and Meteorological Service of New Zealand as well as multinational forces such as the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations disaster response mechanisms. Core outputs include advisories, best-track datasets used by research groups at University of Hawaii M?noa, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and National Center for Atmospheric Research.
RSMC Tokyo traces its formal designation to WMO decisions following mid-20th-century developments in tropical meteorology and post-war reconstruction in Japan. Early precursor activities were conducted by agencies that evolved into the Japan Meteorological Agency alongside scientific collaborations with institutions such as the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (CAS). Major operational milestones include transitions from observational-era synoptic forecasting to satellite-era analysis following the launch of meteorological satellites like Meteosat, GMS-4, and later Himawari series, and participation in multinational field campaigns such as TOGA and Tropical Cyclone Structure Experiment.
RSMC Tokyo’s primary mandate covers issuance of tropical cyclone advisories, best-track post-season analyses, and forecast guidance for the Northwest Pacific basin bounded broadly by the Equator, the International Date Line, and the South China Sea. It supplies products for national meteorological services including Bangladesh Meteorological Department, Vietnam Meteorological and Hydrological Administration, Thai Meteorological Department, and Myanmar Department of Meteorology and Hydrology. RSMC Tokyo supports aviation stakeholders like International Civil Aviation Organization members and maritime operators registered under International Maritime Organization conventions, and provides data used by research centers such as European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.
Operational services include real-time tropical cyclone advisories, graphical forecast charts, probabilistic track and intensity guidance, and storm surge potential assessments that feed into emergency response by agencies like National Commission for Disaster Reduction (China), Office of Civil Defense (Philippines), and Korean Disaster Relief Team. RSMC Tokyo issues products derived from satellite platforms such as Himawari and GOES, from scatterometer instruments like ASCAT, and from numerical guidance from centers including European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, United Kingdom Met Office, and National Hurricane Center. The center produces data consumed by academic programs at Tokyo University, Peking University, National Taiwan University, and operational modeling groups at NOAA/NCEP.
RSMC Tokyo integrates remote sensing, in situ observations, and numerical weather prediction to produce tropical cyclone forecasts. It employs model guidance from global systems including ECMWF, JMA Global Spectral Model, GFS, and ensemble systems such as the ECMWF Ensemble Prediction System and the NCEP Global Ensemble Forecast System. Satellite-derived products use instruments from missions like GCOM-W, TRMM, and GPM while sea-surface analysis references datasets from Argo floats and the Global Drifter Program. Warnings are coordinated with regional agencies and communicated through mechanisms established by the WMO Tropical Cyclone Programme and regional disaster preparedness frameworks.
As a WMO-designated RSMC, Tokyo participates in multinational coordination with centers including RSMC Honolulu, RSMC New Delhi, and RSMC La Réunion and contributes to regional training and capacity building with partners such as the Asian Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and UNESCO. It supports interagency exercises with the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and data-sharing agreements with research consortia like the World Climate Research Programme and the International Council for Science. RSMC Tokyo contributes best-track archives and analysis to global databases maintained by the International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship and provides expertise to panels like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working groups.
Functionally situated within the Japan Meteorological Agency, RSMC Tokyo draws staff from divisions specializing in tropical cyclone analysis, satellite meteorology, numerical modeling, and marine meteorology, and coordinates with national laboratories like the Meteorological Research Institute and observatories such as JMA Meteorological Satellite Center. Its facilities include access to the Himawari Real-time Data Service, regional supercomputing resources interfaced with the Earth Simulator, and collaboration spaces for joint projects with universities including University of Tokyo and Kyoto University. Training, archive, and dissemination functions align with international standards promulgated by the World Meteorological Organization and regional disaster reduction bodies.
Category:Japan Meteorological Agency Category:Regional Specialized Meteorological Centers Category:Meteorology in Japan