Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA)

Meteorological services in Japan were initiated in 1875 by the Tokyo Meteorological Observatory (TMO) - part of the Ministry of the Interior. TMO was renamed the Central Meteorological Observatory (CMO) in 1887, and was transferred to become part of the Ministry of Education in 1895. In 1956, CMO became an affiliate agency of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) under the name of the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). In January 2001, MOT was reorganized into the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT*). JMA now serves as one of the most advanced and leading National Meteorological Services in the world, assuming both national and international responsibilities.