Abstract
This paper briefly reviews the activities of the International Council for Science (ICSU) World Data Centers (WDCs) in Japan at a time of great change in the data and information structures of the ICSU ? the creation of the World Data System (WDS) in 2009. Seven WDCs are currently operating in Japan: the WDC for Airglow, the WDC for Cosmic Rays, the WDC for Geomagnetism, Kyoto, the WDC for Ionosphere, the WDC for Solar Radio Emission, and the WDC for Space Science Satellites. Although these WDCs are highly active, along-term support system must be established to ensure the stewardship and provision of quality-assessed data and data services to the international science community.