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Country Report COUNTRY REPORT ESCAP/WMO Typhoon Committee 38th Session 14 - 19 November 2005 Hanoi, Viet Nam JAPAN CONTENTS I. Overview of Meteorological and Hydrological Conditions during the Year II. Meteorology 1. Progress in Member’s Regional Cooperation and Selected RCPIP Goals and Objectives 2. Progress in Member’s Important, High-Priority Goals and Objectives 3. Opportunities for Further Enhancement of Regional Cooperation III. Hydrology 1. Progress in Member’s Regional Cooperation and Selected RCPIP Goals and Objectives 2. Progress in Member’s Important, High-Priority Goals and Objectives 3. Opportunities for Further Enhancement of Regional Cooperation IV. Disaster Prevention and Preparedness 1. Progress in Member’s Regional Cooperation and Selected RCPIP Goals and Objectives 2. Progress in Member’s Important, High-Priority Goals and Objectives 3. Opportunities for Further Enhancement of Regional Cooperation V. Typhoons that Impacted Japan I. Overview of Meteorological and Hydrological Conditions during the Year I. Overview of Meteorological and Hydrological Conditions during the Year 1. Meteorological Assessment In 2005, twenty tropical cyclones (TCs) of tropical storm (TS) intensity or higher generated in the western North Pacific as of 14 October. Among them, eleven came into the areas within 300 km from the Japanese islands, and three made landfalls on Japan. For the early preparedness of the people for TCs and subsequent hazards, the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) provided the general public and disaster prevention organizations with various information for disaster prevention that includes; (1) 3-hourly TC analyses/forecasts with relevant information on possible hazardous events associated with TCs such as flood, landslide, and storm surge, (2) advisories and warnings for specific severe weather events such as storm, heavy rain, flood, storm surge and high waves, (3) hourly analyses of TCs in the area within 300km from the Japanese islands, (4) flood forecasts jointly with the River Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MLIT) or local governments. On 26 February 2005, JMA successfully launched the Multi-functional Transport Satellite-1R (MTSAT-1R) as successor to GMS-5 since. MTSAT-1R took over the observing service of GOES-9 in June 2005, which had been served as a backup for GMS-5 since May in 2003. To follow MTSAT-1R, MTSAT-2 is currently in its final testing phase and will serve as an in-orbit backup satellite for MTSAT-1R. With respect to the prediction of TCs, several upgrades were achieved in the operational typhoon models including; introduction of a new radiation scheme, employment of four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4D-Var) system, and revision of cloud radiation parameterization. Researches seeking new techniques to increase typhoon prediction accuracies were underway such as; simulation of sea surface temperature decrease near TCs by a coupled model, high-resolution simulation of wind structure and precipitation distribution in the inner core of typhoons, and influence of Maddenn-Julian Oscillation on TC landfalls on Japan. In addition, JMA actively contributed to capacity building of the TC Members, holding various training courses such as JICA Group Training Course and On-the-job Training for Female Forecasters in JMA and sending lectures to Typhoon Roving Seminar in Beijing and Training Course on Typhoon Forecast by using NWP Technique in Bangkok. - 1 - 2. Hydrological Assessment With its project based on the Regional Cooperative Program Implementation Plan (RCPIP), Japan is playing a central role in promoting technical cooperation projects for the Preparation of Flood Hazard Maps and the Establishment of Warning Systems for Flash Floods, including Debris Flow and Landslides. For the flood hazard map project, Japan sent questionnaires to WGH members to clarify issues in providing hazard map manuals in each country. At the International Workshop on Risk Management held in Malaysia last September, Japan emphasized the importance of the legal roles of flood hazard maps by introducing Japan’s Flood Fighting Law. Moreover, the extension of the project to advance flood hazard mapping further by maintaining collaboration with PWRI-JICA training was recommended. As for the warning system project, on-site training for designating sediment-related disaster hazard areas was provided under Japan leadership. In 2004, many floods and sediment-related disasters caused by a great number of torrential rains and a record-high 10 typhoons inflicted severe damages throughout Japan. These disasters clarified several issues which our country contains, such as the vulnerability of medium- and small-size rivers to torrential rains and delays in issuing evacuation instructions for residents living along such rivers. In response, the Flood Fighting Law, which institutes flood fighting activities to be conducted, such as flood forecasting and warnings, was revised in May, 2005 to make it obligatory for authorities responsible for areas with medium- and small-sized rivers to designate anticipated inundation area for which flood hazard maps have to be prepared by municipalities concerned, and for authorities responsible for areas with large rivers to provide warnings of expected inundation areas and water levels during flooding. The Sediment-related Disaster Prevention Law was also revised to make it obligatory for authorities to provide sediment-related disaster hazard maps and information with risk predictions. After these revisions, it is expected that warnings identifying anticipated inundation areas will be provided for 2,200 rivers (238 have already been done) and flood hazard maps will be provided by 1,800 municipal governments — 311 have already done so. “The International Center for Water Hazard and Risk Management under the auspices UNESCO” will be established at the Public Works Research Institute in Japan next year. Japan intends to strengthen cooperation with other countries and to promote activities related to flood and sediment-related disaster reduction through the research, training, and information networking on flood damage to be conducted at this Center and through the activities at the International Flood Network (IFNet), International Sabo Network [for erosion control]. - 2 - 3. Socio-Economic Assessment The frequency and intensity of adverse natural phenomena and the severity of the damage caused by them are increasing. Asia is the most disaster-prone region in the world, where ninety-percent of the victims of disasters are counted. Under such circumstances, the United Nations World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) was held from 18 to 22 January 2005 in Kobe, Hyogo, Japan. The Conference was attended by almost 4,000 participants from 168 States, and provided a unique opportunity to promote a strategic and systematic approach to reducing vulnerabilities and risks to hazards. It underscored the need for, and identified ways of, building the resilience of nations and communities to disaster. The Conference adopted the “Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015” as a guiding framework for the next decade on disaster reduction. The Thematic Sessions were held in five themes previously identified as the priority areas of work for the next ten years through the Review of the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action (The five Themes were; 1. Governance: institutional and policy frameworks for risk reduction, 2. Risk identification, assessment, monitoring and early warning, 3. Knowledge, innovation and education: Building a culture of safety and resilience, 4. Reducing the underlying risk factors, 5. Preparedness for effective response). At the Conference, Junichiro Koizumi, Prime Minister of Japan, addressed that we are pouring our energy into such international cooperative efforts as the strengthening of ties with neighboring countries in the area of disaster reduction cooperation through the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC). Japan has made every effort to develop the regional networking for disaster reduction in the Asian area, in close cooperation with the United Nations. ADRC held a training course on flood hazard mapping in Vietnam, in cooperation with United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN/OCHA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Vietnamese government. - 3 - II. Meteorology Japan Meteorological Agency 1. Progress in Member’s Regional Cooperation and Selected RCPIP Goals and Objectives: a. Hardware and Software Progress a.1 Observations (a) Satellite Observations The Multi-functional Transport Satellite-1R (MTSAT-1R) was successfully launched on 26 February, 2005. MTSAT-1R took over the meteorological communication function, i.e. relay of data from Data Collection Platform (DCP) and broadcast of WEFAX imagery derived from GOES-9 observations, from the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite-5 (GMS-5) on 28 April, 2005. The meteorological payload of MTSAT-1R has been operational since 28 June, 2005 and will fulfill its meteorological mission in the next five years. With regard to MTSAT-2, which is to follow MTSAT-1R, it has already completed the manufacturing stage and is now under final testing phase. MTSAT-2 will be stationed above the equator at 135 or 145 degrees east after the launch, as an in-orbit backup satellite of MTSAT-1R. As MTSAT-1R became operational, the High Rate Information Transmission (HRIT), the High Resolution Imager Data (HiRID; compatible with S-VISSR), and the Low Rate Information Transmission (LRIT)
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