WNI WxBunka Foundation

The WNI WxBunka Foundation — formally the General Incorporated Foundation WNI Kishō Bunka Sōzō Center (一般財団法人 WNI気象文化創造センター) — is a Japanese non-profit foundation dedicated to what it calls "weather culture" (気象文化, kishō bunka): the idea that people should enjoy learning about weather, read changes in the sky, and translate that understanding into their own actions. It was established on 1 December 2009 by Hiroyoshi Ishibashi, then chairman of Weathernews Inc., together with WNI Institute Inc. and Weathernews Inc. Its stated purpose is to encourage practical and applied research on weather, to share and apply the results, and thereby to contribute to the improvement of weather culture in Japan and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The foundation is headquartered in the Makuhari Techno Garden building in Mihama-ku, Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture. It is closely tied to the Weathernews (WNI) group: at its founding, Ishibashi contributed 1.5 million shares and WNI Institute 200,000 shares, which made the foundation the largest shareholder of Weathernews Inc. — a position that moved from Ishibashi personally to the foundation. Its board has included figures from Weathernews, Chiba University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Nihon University and other institutions. Its activities fall into two broad streams. Domestically, it runs grant and award programs for practical weather research and for people who have contributed to weather culture, including the Kishō Bunka Taishō (Weather Culture Grand Prize), the Kishō Bunka Kōrōshō (Weather Culture Distinguished Service Award), the Ishibashi Yume Taishō (Ishibashi Dream Award) and the Sasaki Yoshikazu Award. Internationally, it supports projects across the Asia-Pacific region aimed at developing meteorological infrastructure, advancing forecasting technologies and fostering human resources in weather observation and prediction. It also organizes the Weather & Climate Forecast Conference (WCFC), an international platform, and a Satellite Observation Data Utilization Contest, and it runs a contest for high-school and technical-college students to build weather observation instruments. A distinctive asset is the retired Japanese Antarctic research vessel SHIRASE5002, which the foundation purchased from Weathernews in September 2013. Since May 2010 the ship has been moored in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, and it is used as a base for the foundation's activities to improve weather literacy. Through grants, awards, conferences, contests and the SHIRASE project, the foundation positions itself as a bridge between traditional ways of reading weather and modern digital forecasting, aiming to reduce weather-related disasters and build a society better able to adapt to climate change.

The WNI WxBunka Foundation was established on 1 December 2009 as a general incorporated foundation (一般財団法人). Its founders were Hiroyoshi Ishibashi, then Representative Director and Chairman of Weathernews Inc.; WNI Institute Inc.; and Weathernews Inc. itself. The foundation's stated purpose was to encourage practical and applied research on weather and to promote the sharing and application of research results, thereby contributing to the improvement of weather culture in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region. At the time of establishment, Ishibashi contributed 1.5 million shares and WNI Institute contributed 200,000 shares, which made the foundation the largest shareholder of Weathernews Inc.; the largest-shareholder position thus moved from Ishibashi personally to the foundation. Ishibashi and Jirō Miyabe became the foundation's representative directors. Ishibashi died on 22 May 2010. In July 2010 the foundation announced the outline of its grant and award programs. These domestic programs came to include the Weather Culture Grand Prize (気象文化大賞), which recognizes and funds innovative practical weather research and activities related to disaster reduction, self-help and mutual aid, economic use of weather, and environmental issues, with grants ranging from 1 million to 5 million yen; the Weather Culture Distinguished Service Award (気象文化功労賞), for long-term, steady practical research and activity, with grants of 500,000 to 2 million yen; the Ishibashi Dream Award (石橋夢大賞), which solicits opinions and proposals about dreams and hopes for practical weather research and recognizes outstanding individuals without a cash grant; and the Sasaki Yoshikazu Award (佐々木嘉和賞), which recognizes individuals or organizations among Grand Prize and Distinguished Service Award candidates who can contribute to practical weather research from a global perspective, also without a cash grant. The Sasaki Yoshikazu Award is named after Yoshikazu Sasaki, who earned a doctorate in science at the University of Tokyo in 1955, studied at Texas A&M University from the following year, founded a meteorology program at the University of Oklahoma in 1960, became a professor there in 1967, founded and directed CIMMS (a joint research organization of NOAA and the University of Oklahoma) in 1980, received the Meteorological Society of Japan's Fujiwara Prize in 2000, became an honorary member of the society in 2001, and died in Louisiana in 2015 at the age of 88. In September 2013 the foundation purchased the retired Japanese Antarctic research vessel SHIRASE5002 from Weathernews Inc. and began using it for activities aimed at improving weather literacy. The ship, Japan's third-generation Antarctic observation vessel, had been moored in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, since May 2010, and it serves as a base for the foundation's activities. Over time the foundation expanded its international work. It provides grants aimed at developing meteorological infrastructure, advancing forecasting technologies and fostering human resources in weather observation and prediction across the Asia-Pacific region. It established the Weather & Climate Forecast Conference (WCFC) as an international platform embodying its founding principle of enhancing weather infrastructure and advancing forecasting technologies in the Asia-Pacific region. It also runs a Satellite Observation Data Utilization Contest and a program to train meteorological engineers in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as a domestic contest for high-school and technical-college students to design weather observation instruments using ideas beyond conventional thinking. Its board and council have drawn on people from Weathernews, Chiba University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Nihon University, Keio University, government and professional practice, reflecting its role as a bridge between the weather business, academia and public service.

• Established as a general incorporated foundation by Hiroyoshi Ishibashi, WNI Institute Inc. and Weathernews Inc.; becomes largest shareholder of Weathernews Inc.

• Founder and Representative Director Hiroyoshi Ishibashi dies.

• Outline of grant and award programs announced.

• Purchases retired Antarctic research vessel SHIRASE5002 from Weathernews Inc. and begins using it for weather literacy activities.

• 16th Weather Culture Grand Prize and Asia-Pacific regional grant selection results announced.

• Call for applications opened for the 2nd Satellite Observation Data Utilization Contest.

• Registration opened for the Weather & Climate Forecast Conference (WCFC) in December 2026.

A non-profit foundation bridging traditional weather-reading skills and modern digital forecasting to build weather culture and reduce weather-related disasters in Japan and the Asia-Pacific region.

• Weather Culture Grand Prize (Kishō Bunka Taishō)

  Award and grant for individuals and organizations achieving innovative results in practical weather research and activity related to disaster reduction, self-help and mutual aid, economic use of weather, and environmental issues; grants of 1–5 million yen.

• Weather Culture Distinguished Service Award (Kishō Bunka Kōrōshō)

  Award and grant for individuals and organizations that have steadily pursued practical weather research and activity over the long term; grants of 500,000–2 million yen.

• Ishibashi Dream Award (Ishibashi Yume Taishō)

  Public solicitation of opinions and proposals about dreams and hopes for practical weather research; recognizes outstanding individuals, with no cash grant.

• Sasaki Yoshikazu Award

  Recognizes individuals or organizations among Grand Prize and Distinguished Service Award candidates who can contribute to practical weather research from a global perspective; no cash grant.

• Asia-Pacific regional project furtherance grants

  Grants aimed at developing meteorological infrastructure, advancing forecasting technologies and fostering human resources in weather observation and prediction across the Asia-Pacific region.

• Weather & Climate Forecast Conference (WCFC)

  An international platform established to embody the foundation's founding principle of enhancing weather infrastructure and advancing forecasting technologies in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Satellite Observation Data Utilization Contest

  A contest held as part of a program to train meteorological engineers in the Asia-Pacific region.

• High school / technical college weather observation instrument contest

  A domestic contest in which students design weather observation instruments with ideas beyond conventional thinking and compete on their skills.

• SHIRASE5002 utilization project

  Use of the retired third-generation Japanese Antarctic research vessel SHIRASE5002, moored in Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture, as a base for activities to improve weather literacy.

1. 1一般財団法人 WNI気象文化創造センターwxbunka.com
2. 2財団について | 一般財団法人 WNI気象文化創造センターwxbunka.com
3. 3WNI WxBunka Foundation - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4WNI気象文化創造センター - Wikipedia (Japanese)ja.wikipedia.org