The Weather Radar Seminar 2019 was held by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) at its headquarters in Tokyo from 18 to 22 November 2019 as a platform for the sharing of expertise in radar meteorology. Discussions included application to disaster risk reduction and state-of-the-art technology in radar observation in the presence of key staff in the planning, installation and operation of weather radar at National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs). The seminar was attended by 14 representatives from NMHSs in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam, as well as JMA staff and presenters from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) and domestic manufacturers of systems for weather radar, lidar and related technologies (Furuno Electric, Japan Radio, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Mitsubishi Space Software and Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation).

The seminar began with country reports on weather radar operational status and related contributions to weather disaster risk reduction, including challenges and plans for service development. These were followed by manufacturer presentations detailing the advantages of solid-state weather radar, Doppler lidar and dual-polarization weather radar as examples of cutting-edge technology in the field. Presentations on operational experiences with these advanced radar and lidar applications were also given by JMA. On the third day, there was a technical tour of a radar factory and radar/lidar facilities at Haneda Airport. The seminar as a whole was characterized by discussions on issues, expertise, experience and needs in the fields of weather radar and lidar, as well as related expectations toward enriched information for disaster-risk reduction using such advanced equipment. These exchanges are expected to contribute to the further development of weather radar products in attendees’ countries and to closer relations among weather radar system manufacturers.