DDBJ began data bank activities in 1987[3] at NIG and remains the only nucleotide sequence data bank in Asia.[4]
Organisation
Although DDBJ mainly receives its data from Japanese researchers, it can accept data from contributors from any other country. DDBJ is primarily funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). DDBJ has an international advisory committee which consists of nine members, 3 members each from Europe, US, and Japan. This committee advises DDBJ about its maintenance, management and future plans once a year. Apart from this, DDBJ also has an international collaborative committee which advises on various technical issues related to international collaboration and consists of working-level participants.[citation needed]