TOKYO, Sept. 4 (Xinhua) -- Japan's disaster prevention institute is developing a radar system to forecast local downpours and high winds one hour in advance, Kyodo News reported Monday.

The National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention aims to put the high-tech system into practice in the Tokyo metropolitan area in five years, as downpour-induced disasters could paralyze urban areas, it said.

The forecasting system will make use of multi-parameter radar, which is capable of monitoring 500-square-meter areas every minute. In contrast, the radar used by the Japan Meteorological Agency monitors one square kilometer every 10 minutes.

The system, once completed, can also indicate the depth of rainfall and wind velocity more precisely, since it is capable of monitoring areas vertically and horizontally at the same time. Enditem