Livedoor Co. has applied for membership in the press club of the Meteorological Agency, officials of the Internet portal site operator said Thursday.
The company is seeking access to weather and disaster-related information released by the agency for the news section of its portal, the officials said.
Livedoor began the news-providing service in January and more than 500,000 people see its news section on average per day, they said.
"In order to increase the accuracy of the news and speedily deliver it to our users, we believe it's necessary to establish an information-gathering system that works close to the agency," one official said, adding that it is the first time it has applied for press club membership.
The press club currently has 144 reporters from 43 media organizations as members. It is the first time a nonmedia entity has sought membership at the club. The club is expected to discuss Livedoor's membership soon.