We would like to express our deepest sympathy and concern for those who have been affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the northeastern coast of Japan on March 11th, 2011. With a sincere hope for a swift recovery for the disaster-stricken areas, the entire staff at Weathernews is committed to doing whatever we can do for those adversely affected by this natural disaster.

1.Impact on Weathernews operations

Fortunately none of the staff here at Weathernews have been injured, and no technical problems have disrupted our operations. We have been able to continuously provide our service on a 24-hour basis to our customers as always, with the exception of a few areas of Japan which have experienced difficulty receiving our service as a result of damage to the local infrastructure.

2.Recovery and revitalization support efforts

Since its foundation, Weathernews has made the safety of our customers our top priority, and provided them with service 24-hours per day, 365-days per year. In order to mitigate damage from weather-related and other natural disasters, we continually bear in mind that “Weather never sleeps.”
As a weather service provider, the entire staff of Weathernews is committed to doing their best for whatever they can to contribute to the swift recovery and reconstruction of affected areas. We are working to support services in operation in these areas, while at the same time providing services that are needed for relief and recovery efforts, free of charge.

For companies and industries

In the disaster-stricken areas, we will continue to provide weather-related risk-communication service such as Go or No-Go decision support for logistics companies (maritime, road and rail transportation) and to helicopters for disaster mitigation, support to construction sites and ports.

For the general public

A dedicated page with information on the disaster is available free online for mobile telephones, smart phones and PCs. With weather information and over 40,000 disaster reports, we support the recovery and revitalization activities in the disaster-stricken areas along with Supporters. We have also begun the installation of weather observation equipment together with KDDI to provide detailed weather information to people who are actively engaged in recovery and reconstruction work. The sensory equipment will be installed at some 50 locations around Miyagi, Iwate and Fukushima prefectures.

3.Nagoya Operation Backup Center

Weathernews has established an Operation Center in Nagoya to ensure business continuity and enhanced stability and reliability for our customers. While our Global Center in Chiba will remain the main operation center, the Nagoya Operation Backup Center also will have the capacity to provide our services. Already operations are being partially supported by our Nagoya Operation Backup Center.