New Australia - Japan Strategic Arrangement in Satellite Meteorology to deliver enhanced services for Australian governments, industries and community

12/11/2024

The Bureau of Meteorology and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) have signed a Strategic Relationship Arrangement to enhance their longstanding collaboration on satellite meteorology.

The arrangement, signed in a formal ceremony in Tokyo on Monday 11 November 2024, will result in more accurate and reliable forecasts and warnings, increase community safety, support national security and enhance economic productivity.

Bureau of Meteorology Chief Executive Officer, Dr Andrew Johnson PSM was in Japan for the signing and said the arrangement continues a partnership that began between the two agencies in 1977 and includes the opportunity to be part of the new Japanese Himawari-10 program.

"The forecasts and warnings from the Bureau that all Australians rely upon every day are critically dependent on the observations of earth that we get from satellites and especially Himawari" Dr Johnson said.

"Under the Strategic Relationship Arrangement, the JMA will provide images of high impact weather events every 2.5 minutes anywhere in the Australian region," said Dr Johnson.

Himawari-10 is the successor to the Japanese geostationary meteorological satellite, Himawari-9, and will be delivered by 2029.

"This collaboration with Japan on the Himawari-10 satellite is Australia’s largest contribution to international meteorological satellite activities to date," said Dr Johnson.

JMA Director-General Mr Takashi Mori said

"It is my honour and privilege to sign this Strategic Relationship Arrangement with Dr Johnson. Through this arrangement, the Bureau and JMA will work together to leverage satellite Himawari data to further advance meteorological services of both countries."

"I firmly believe that this collaboration will significantly contribute to disaster risk reduction activities to protect life and property, not only in Australia and Japan, but across the broader Asia-Oceania region," said Mr Mori.

In October 2022, the Prime Ministers of Australia and Japan announced an intention to strengthen cooperation between governments to enhance Australia’s extreme weather and multi-hazard monitoring capabilities, with a focus on the successor to the Japanese geostationary meteorological satellite, Himawari-9.

The Himawari-9 satellite is situated 35 800 km above the equator at longitude 140.7°E, above the western Pacific, in line with Japan, Papua and central Australia. This location enables the satellite to provide excellent coverage of the Australian region.

High-definition images from the Himawari-9 satellite are available for viewing on the Bureau of Meteorology website.