Japan Meteorological Agency Website Terms of Use

1. Using the content on the Japan Meteorological Agency website

Information made available on the Japan Meteorological Agency website (hereinafter referred to as "Content") may be freely used, copied, publicly transmitted, translated or otherwise modified on condition that the user complies with provisions 1) to 7) below. Commercial use of Content is also permitted.
  Note, however, that numerical data and data in Simple tables, graphs, and so forth are not subject to copyright. Accordingly the terms of use does not apply to such data, and said data may be used freely.
  Use of the Content constitutes agreement by the user with these terms of use for using the Content described herein (hereinafter referred to as "Terms of Use").

 1) Source citation

1. The user must cite the source when using the Content. Sources should be cited in the following manner:
(Examples of source citation)
• Source: Japan Meteorological Agency website (URL of relevant page)
• "Chart/picture names" (from the Japan Meteorological Agency website)
2. If you have edited the Content for use, you must include a statement expressing that the Content has been edited, in addition to the abovementioned source citation, but not in any way that making public or using edited information in a format that may be misconstrued as having been created by the Government of Japan (or its ministries and/or agencies).
(Example of citation when using edited content)
• Based on "Chart/picture names" (Japan Meteorological Agency) (URL of relevant page)
• Created by Company YY based on XX Survey (Japan Meteorological Agency) (URL of relevant page)

 2) No infringement of third party rights

1. In some cases, a third party (refers to a party other than the state. Hereinafter referred to as "Third Party") may hold copyrights or other rights to a part of the Content. For Content where a Third Party holds copyrights or other rights (e.g. portrait rights in a photograph, publicity rights etc.), it is the responsibility of the user to obtain consent for use from the Third Party unless there is explicit indication that the rights have already been cleared.
2. If a Third Party holds rights to a part of the Content, said fact may be directly or indirectly stated or indicated through source citations, but in some cases the part of the Content to which the Third Party holds the rights may not be clear or may not be explicitly stated. It is the responsibility of the user to confirm the rights pertaining to use of the Content.
3. Even if a Third Party holds copyrights to the Content, some use of the Content, such as quoting, may be allowed without the consent of the copyright holder, under the Copyright Act of Japan.

 3) Content where use is restricted by specific laws and ordinances

1. The use of Content may be restricted by the Meteorological Service Act and related ordinances. The Articles reproduced below from the Act are particularly important to note. Please refer to the relevant links below for details.
• License for forecasting services as prescribed in Article 17 (1) of the Meteorological Service Act for intended provision of meteorological services in Japan
• Restriction on warnings as prescribed in Article 23 of the Meteorological Service Act

 4) Content where the Terms of Use does not apply

The Terms of Use herein does not apply to the following Content.

1. Symbol mark, Logo, and Character Design which represent the organization or specific business.
2. Content where other terms of use apply with rational and concrete reason.

 5) Governing law and jurisdiction

1. The Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Japan.
2. In case of disputes relating to the use of the Content based on the Terms of Use, or the Terms of Use, the user agrees that the exclusive court of first instance shall be the district court with jurisdiction in the place where the organization that has published the disputed Content or Terms of Use is located.

 6) Disclaimer

1. The state bears absolutely no responsibility for any action taken by the user involving the use of the Content (including use of information based on edited Content).
2. The Content may be modified, moved or deleted without prior notice.

 7) Other

1. The Terms of Use does not limit those types of uses for which, under Copyright Act of Japan, license from the right holders are not required.
2. The Terms of Use was established on 28 January 2016. The Terms of Use is based on the Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use (Version 2.0). The Terms of Use may be modified in the future. If you are already using Content under previous version of the Government of Japan Standard Terms of Use, these terms and conditions will continue to apply.
3. The Terms of Use are compatible with the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 (hereinafter referred to as the CC License). This means that Content based on the Terms of Use may be used under the CC License in lieu of the Terms of Use.

Japan Meteorological Agency Website Privacy Policy

31 January 2020: partial revision of 2) Scope of Information collected, 3) Purposes of use, and 5) Security measures

 1) Basic policy

The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) collects information on users of its website within the scope required for optimal provision of services (including the provision of information as well as the collection of feedback and comments via the website). All information collected is used appropriately within the scope of the purposes specified below.

 2) Scope of information collected

1. This website automatically collects information on Internet domain names, IP addresses, access status and other data (hereinafter referred to as “user information”). Information collected using cookies (sent by the server to identify users via the browser and saved on the user’s computer) is used solely to improve usability, and does not include any personal data. Browsers can be set to disable cookie usage, which does not affect access to the website.
2. User location information is referenced for tailored map display on some pages of this website. However, JMA does not collect location information. Browsers can be set to disable location information usage, which does not affect access to the website.
3. Users may be required to register their name, address, age, occupation, phone number, email address and other information (hereinafter referred to as “User Information”) to use certain pages of the website, such as those with feedback and comment functions. The email address of the submitter is displayed on the receiver’s end.
4. Users may be required to provide User Information in relation to the nature of particular projects implemented by JMA. These may include calls for requests to attend PR and other events, as well as written surveys.

 3) Purposes of use

1. Information collected as detailed in Item 2) a. is used to improve website accessibility via measures such as recording of appropriate ranges for map coverage, and to provide optimal services.
2. This website uses Google Analytics, which collects user information using cookies. See the terms of service.
3. The content of feedback and comments collected as detailed in Item 2) c., including User Information, is used to develop future JMA policies and measures. To this end, such content may be forwarded to relevant JMA divisions. Email addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers may be used to reply to user inquiries and for confirmation-related contact. Information collected may also be forwarded to relevant ministries and agencies depending on the nature of feedback provided or comments made.
4. Information collected as detailed in Item 2) d. is used only as required for optimal implementation of PR and other events.

 4) Restrictions on the use and provision of information

JMA does not use collected information for purposes other than those specified in Paragraph 3) or provide such to third parties unless information disclosure is required in association with laws or ordinances, violations such as unauthorized access or threats, or other special circumstances. However, statistically processed information on access to this website, on user information and so forth may be published.

 5) Security measures

1. JMA takes all measures necessary to prevent the leakage, loss or destruction of information collected and to manage such appropriately. Analysis of the status of access to this website and user feedback received may be consigned to external organizations as deemed necessary for commercial operations. In such cases, JMA ensures that the relevant organizations take all measures necessary for appropriate management of the information.
2. Management of user information collected via Google Analytics is based on the privacy policy of Google Inc. JMA is not liable for any damages resulting from the use of the Google Analytics service.

 6) Collection of information

Except for User Information provided in relation to feedback/comments and requests to attend PR and other events, this website does not collect general information (such as names and dates of birth) that would allow JMA to identify the user.

 7) Scope of application

The privacy policy outlined here applies exclusively to this website. The handling of information on websites of other ministries and agencies is the responsibility of the organization concerned.

 8) Other

JMA may revise its privacy policy from time to time. Any future revisions will be announced on this website.

Linking to this site

Linking to this website does not require copyright permission, although we do require links to be clearly acknowledged.