Japan

GEO Principals

Takashi Kiyoura

GEO PrincipalMEXT

Yu Sumikawa

GEO Principal AlternateMEXT

Focal Points

Momoko Oya

oya-momoko@mext.go.jp

GEO Focal Point

GEO Engagement and Contributions

Engagement History with GEO

Japan is a founding member of GEO and continues to play an active role in GEO governance since 2005. It is one of GEO’s major contributors, providing significant technical expertise, satellite data and has hosted various GEO initiatives and meetings, along with providing an annual voluntary contribution to the GEO Trust Fund and seconded experts to the GEO Secretariat over the years.

The lead agency that coordinates Japan’s engagement with GEO is the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).

Japanese participation in GEO involves multiple government agencies and research institutions including:

Ministry of Environment (MOE)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC)
National Institute for Environmental Studies
National Institute for Polar Research (NIPR)

Participation in GEO Work Programme

Japan actively participates in several GEO Work Programme activities, with a focus on disaster risk reduction, water and land sustainability, climate and agricultural monitoring, and ocean and marine ecosystem observations.

Japan has played a pioneering role in advancing DRR through the Data Integration and Analysis System (DIAS), led by the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and leading universities such as the University of Tokyo. DIAS a platform that develops a data lake to support the creation of interactive applications for decision-making on cross-cutting issues by integrating domain data with climate change and weather prediction datasets. One such application is the forecasting system for river levels and flood inundation, which has been developed and is operational in Sri Lanka, West Africa, and the Philippines.

Online Synthesis System for Sustainability and Resilience (OSS-SR), on the DIAS, provides a series of e-learning courses to empower local stakeholders in addressing water hazards. For example, in the Philippines, more than 110 professionals received e-training, and they are now equipped to use the data system to issue official water-related early warnings and alerts, conduct risk analyses, and create hazard maps. They are assigned to city districts or communities to lead discussions and implement urban planning and design initiatives. These trained experts serve as “facilitators”, by bridging the gap between the science community and society, and supporting policymaking and public investment decisions through the use of Earth observation data and scientific knowledge from the OSS-SR to accelerate local climate-adaptation actions.

In addition, Japan is actively involved in the following GEO Work Programme activities:

GEOGLAM
GEOCRI
GEO-WETLANDS
DIAS

Participation in the Regional Caucus - AOGEO

Japan is an active member within the AOGEO regional caucus, serves as a Co-Chair of the AOGEO Coordination Board, and plays a critical role in coordinating regional EO activities. Japan has also organised and supported the organisation of the AOGEO Symposia in Japan and other Asia-Oceania GEO member states since 2007.

National Policy and Implementation Priorities

Japan is actively engaged in various technical cooperation projects related to Earth observations that extend beyond the GEO Work Programme. These include:

Sentinel Asia – An initiative aiming space-based international cooperation for disaster management through the utilisation of satellite data across the Asia-Pacific region.
Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF) - Coordinating regional space cooperation and Earth observation activities, convening space agencies, governmental bodies, international organisations, private companies, universities, and research institutes from over 40 countries and regions.
BISMaL (Biological Information System for Marine Life): Japan operates this system to integrate marine biodiversity information primarily in the Northwestern Pacific with about 60,000 marine taxonomic information details and over 4 million biological occurrence records. These data are used for marine protected area management in the region and also shared with OBIS, a global database for marine biodiversity.
The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has also been conducting technical cooperation projects to build capacity and promote the utilization of the National Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) in emerging and developing countries. CORS are reference points that continuously receive positioning signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).

Statements

GEO Global Forum 2025

05-09 May 25Rome, Italy

Full Statement

“ALOS-4 satellite has successfully been launched. With wider swaths than ALOS-2 without decreasing the resolution, ALOS-4 will unlock the new world by leveraging the merits of L-band SAR for disaster, forest, sea ice, agriculture and infrastructure monitoring.”

Hironori MaejimaSenior Chief Officer of Earth Observation Missions, Space Technology Directorate I, JAXA

“GOSAT-GW, the third satellite of the GOSAT series with the third generation of Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR) series, is scheduled to be launched in FY2025. More than 20 years of monitoring and beyond provide a basemap information for Earth Intelligence.”

Hironori MaejimaSenior Chief Officer of Earth Observation Missions, Space Technology Directorate I, JAXA

JICA aims not only establish the monitoring system but also enhance the skills of local enforcement officers and other personnel combating illegal deforestation by providing timely and accurate information, the project seeks to empower them to take effective action.

JICA

National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) operates an integrated observation network, Monitoring of Waves on Land and Seafloor (MOWLAS), which consists of approximately 2,200 stations that provide comprehensive, accurate, and rapid observation and monitoring of earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic activity throughout Japan and its offshore areas. The application of real-time observations and the processing of MOWLAS data have contributed to disaster mitigation through measures such as earthquake early warnings and tsunami forecasts.

NIED National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience

GEO Week 2023

06-10 Nov 23Cape Town, South Africa

Full Statement

National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) has an integrated observation network, The Monitoring of Waves on Land and Seafloor (MOWLAS), which consists of 2,100 stations to provide comprehensive, accurate, and rapid observation and monitoring of earthquake, tsunami, and volcano activity throughout Japan and its offshore areas. The application of real-time observations and processing of MOWLAS data has contributed to disaster mitigation through its earthquake early warning and tsunami warning.

The Global Mangrove Watch is a multi-collaboration project that demonstrates the usefulness of Earth observation data –including L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar provided by JAXA – for mapping of globally significant ecosystem types. It provides public open, geospatially explicit data of global mangrove extent and annual changes relevant to international reporting frameworks such as the UNFCCC Paris Agreement, the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Global Biodiversity Framework, and the Ramsar Convention.

The Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL), which has been developed by the Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), has published 59 datasets (total 3.8 million biological observations) from scientific researches conducted by JAMSTEC, universities, research institutes and citizen science, in accordance with the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principle. Integrated into the Ocean Biographic Information System (OBIS), it plays a key role as the primary information source in the Northwest Pacific region, and has been used in the Asia Pacific Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (AP-MBON) and contributed to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biology and Ecosystem Services (IPBES).

GEO Week 2022

31 Oct 22 - 04 Nov 22Accra, Ghana

Full Statement

The Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL) , which has been developed by the Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC),has published 48 datasets (total of 2.3 million biological observations) from scientific researches by JAMSTEC, universities, research institutes and citizen science. Integrated into the Ocean Biographic Information System(OBIS), it plays a key role as the primary information source in the Northwest Pacific region, and has been used in the Asia Pacific Marine Biodiversity Observation Network(AP-MBON) and contributed to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biology and Ecosystem Services(IPBES).

ANDO Kentaro Director in charge of International Study in the Western Pacific, Research Institute for Global Change/JAMSTEC

National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience (NIED) has integrated observation networks, The Monitoring of Waves on Land and Seafloor (MOWLAS), which consist of 2,100 stations to provide comprehensive, accurate, and rapid observation and monitoring of earthquake, tsunami, and volcano activity throughout Japan and its offshore areas. The application of real-time observations and processing of MOWLAS data has contributed to disaster mitigation through its earthquake early warning and tsunami warning.

JAXA is fully committed with addressing GEO priorities by sharing datasets and analyzed products to promote utilization for understanding, planning and decision making. In collaboration with UNEP, the Global Mangrove Watch Dataset provides evidence to respond to mitigation of the Climate Change and preservation of Biodiversity.

TERADA Koji Vice President, Director General, Space Technology Directorate I, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)