PR staff from particle physics institutes visit the Kitakami site

The visit by public relations staff working at particle physics institutes from around the world was held for them to understand and convey to the world information about the candidate site for the International Linear Collider (ILC) and its surrounding environment. 12 people from 9 institutes in 7 countries took part, including personnel from the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland and the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) in China.

ILC posters at the Ohara Civic Center

PR staff visit the ILC candidate site

The PR staff visited the Kitakami Highlands, candidate site for construction of the ILC, on April 23 and 24, and after seeing the vast nature and enthusiasm of local residents, declared that it was a suitable location.

On April 23, participants rode a bus through the center of Ichinoseki City, taking in the sights before heading to an area of the ILC candidate site in the town of Daito. While there they also looked at ILC-themed posters on display at the Ohara Civic Center, drawn by local children. Participants then visited Rikuzentakata City, an area significantly damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, and a port in Kesennuma City, where ILC equipment would be unloaded and brought onto land. On April 24, they visited the town of Hiraizumi and Oshu City.

At the end of the visit, participants said: “I was surprised by local people’s understanding of the ILC and their enthusiasm. I think the ILC will become something of hope for the younger generation that will lead Iwate and Japan into the future,” “I can imagine researchers from around the world gathering here in the future. It’s great,” and “Each of the posters we saw at the Ohara Civic Center had their own story to tell, they were very impressive. Creating a story and attempting challenges is important.” Participants expressed their hope for the ILC to become a reality and said they would convey information to the world about the Kitakami Highlands.

ILC Seminar in Daito

Professor Yoshioka

Professor Ishikawa

An ILC seminar titled “Towards realizing the ILC in Japan” was organized by the International Economic Policy Investigation Committee and held at the Shippo Hall in the Daito Community Center on April 4.

Dr. Mikiko Ishikawa, Professor at the Department of Integrated Science and Engineering for Sustainable Society, Faculty of Science and Engineering at Chuo University and Professor Emeritus at the University of Tokyo, and Dr. Masakazu Yoshioka, Visiting Professor at Tohoku University and Iwate University and Professor Emeritus at the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK), both presented at the seminar which was attended by some 350 people.

Dr. Ishikawa gave a presentation titled “Regional Creation and the ILC – Refining culture raised in tradition and bountiful nature” and said: “The Kitakami Highlands are an excellent region where culture and nature are in balance. The relaxed and welcoming feeling of the hills was very highly rated by the ILC Site Evaluation Committee of Japan,” and emphasized that furthering the push for the ILC will require a grand design (a long-term ideal plan) covering a wide area.

Dr. Ishikawa also said that “the Kitakami Highlands are an environment where communities are surrounded by nature, with people living amidst the hills. I think we can build a utopia that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the world, by combining the ILC with the large potential this region has.”

Dr. Masakazu Yoshioka gave a presentation titled “The Accelerator Industry and Cancer Treatment Revolution,” and spoke about Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), a cancer treatment which he is involved in the development of, and which uses an accelerator to produce neutrons which destroy cancer cells, avoiding the need for incision.

Dr. Yoshioka also spoke about applications of accelerator technology in other medical fields. He said: “I’m positive researchers will come and connect accelerator technology used in the ILC with new industries. Tohoku is a region where know-how in earthenware, stoneware and lacquerware have led to development in industries to the present,” and called for the establishment of an accelerator-related industry in Tohoku which would be of a similar scale to its automotive industry.

Niconico Fan Event

Promoting the ILC at the Iwate booth

Governor Tasso broadcasting live on the
“Iwate Channel of Hope”

The “Niconico Chokaigi,” or Niconico Fan Event, is organized by the company which runs the popular Niconico video-sharing website and is an event in which people can participate in different ways. Many people of all ages attend the event, and last year over seven million people tuned in online. It was held in Chiba Prefecture at the Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Hall on April 25 and 26, and Iwate Prefecture set up a booth to showcase attractions in the prefecture and introduce efforts being made to make the ILC a reality. Staff from Ichinoseki’s ILC Promotion Division also took part, assisting Iwate prefectural staff with promoting the ILC.

A real sample of one of the “superconducting accelerator cavities,” the heart of the ILC, was on display at the booth, as was a giant poster of a “cryomodule.” Governor of Iwate Prefecture, Mr Takuya Tasso, went live on the prefecture’s Niconico “Iwate Channel of Hope” where he welcomed Ms Yuki Akimoto, Junior Researcher at the University of Tokyo's Graduate School of Science, as guest to the broadcast. Ms Akimoto used illustrations to explain fundamental particles and the ILC in a way that was easy to understand, and this was broadcast live on the internet to people of all ages.

Some 150,000 people attended the Niconico Fan Event over the two days. People visiting the booth set up by Iwate Prefecture took in the items on display and listened to explanations by staff.

ILC Display at the Daito Public Library

Miniature collider at the Daito Public Library

Visitors take in the various items on display

An ILC display with a theme of “watching, listening, reading, knowing” was installed at the Daito Public Library on March 28, designed to raise awareness and further understanding of the ILC. In co-operation with the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) and the Daito branch of the Ichinoseki Chamber of Commerce and Industry, there are information panels introducing ILC experimental facilities, and a full-scale poster of a cryomodule on display. Audio guidance is available courtesy of a recording by radio station FM ASMO, and ILC-related books and DVDs on topics such as accelerators, the universe, and fundamental particle physics are available for loan.

There is also a miniature collider which simulates the collision of particles, designed by the Oshu Space and Astronomy Museum in Oshu City, that people can try. The display overall is designed so everyone can enjoy learning about the ILC, and is set up on the second floor of the library.

Tohoku ILC Promotion Council’s 2015 AGM

Date: April 13
Location: Westin Hotel in Sendai

Some 160 people from industry, academia and government in the Tohoku region attended the Tohoku ILC Promotion Council’s 2015 Annual General Meeting. Joint Council Chairman and Tohoku University President, Dr. Susumu Satomi, said that the ILC project was currently being examined by a panel of experts and that he hopes for a decision on the project by the national government to be handed down within the next year. A report on the council’s activities and financial statements for last fiscal year were approved, as were the council’s plans (seminars etc.) for this year and its budget.

Panel of experts meet to discuss hosting the ILC

Date: April 21
Location: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)

A panel of experts formed to discuss hosting the ILC and chaired by Shinichi Hirano, Professor Emeritus at Nagoya University, held their third meeting. Reports were delivered by the working group concerned with fundamental particle physics and the working group concerned with analysis of the Technical Design Report (TDR).

It was noted at the meeting that the cost of building the ILC would come to an estimated 1.1 trillion yen, and that it would be necessary for international participants to bear an appropriate amount of costs, and necessary to establish a framework so there is no delay in the decision to build and international momentum is not lost.

Key issues to be discussed moving forward are international co-operation in bearing costs and securing talented researchers and engineers, and the panel indicated it would establish a new working group concerned with securing human resources and their education.

It was also reported at the meeting that according to a survey MEXT commissioned regarding technical and economic benefits the ILC would create, starting with construction the first twenty years would generate approximately 4.5 trillion yen within Japan, and 255,000 jobs would be created in the same period.

Visit to the U.S. by members of the Diet

Date: April 26 to May 1
Location: Washington D.C.

Members of Japan’s Federation of Diet Members for the Promotion of the ILC travelled to the U.S., visiting Washington D.C. and meeting with U.S. Congress members.

It was agreed to aim for the creation of a US-Japan caucus for science and technology that will work on projects concerning advanced accelerators including the ILC, energy, space and so on.

ILC Tokyo Event

Date: April 22
Location: Ito International Hall at the University of Tokyo

A special ILC event was held and co-hosted by the Linear Collider Collaboration (LCC), an international organization promoting the ILC project, and the Advanced Accelerator Association Promoting Science & Technology (AAA). The first part of the event consisted of a symposium which some 400 people from 24 countries attended, where discussion by experts from various fields took place regarding the significance of the ILC project. Scientists working on the project also reported on the progress of research.
The “Tokyo Statement” by the LCC and scientists from around the world was issued at the beginning of the symposium, which states the aim of realizing the ILC and pledging to facilitate discussions between governments and funding authorities to achieve this goal.

UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Symposium in Iwate

Date: March 17
Location: Bellino Hotel Ichinoseki

An ILC diorama and information panels were on display at a symposium organized by Iwate Prefecture in conjunction with the UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, introducing the candidate site for the ILC to those in attendance from Japan and abroad.
As for the ILC diorama, there is one set up in Ichinoseki station near the escalators for the bullet train platforms, and another one is in the city office near the first floor entrance; please take a look next time you are there.

Appointment of an Internationalization Coordinator

Nathan Hill began working as Internationalization Coordinator for Ichinoseki City in April. The position’s main responsibilities are the release of information aimed at realizing the ILC, promoting internationalization of the city and promoting international relations. Making use of social network services, Nathan conveys Ichinoseki’s attractions through the eyes of an international resident.

Ichinoseki Lives Cosmopolitan

Anticipating the realization of the ILC, Ichinoseki City is working on furthering internationalization. Here, we introduce international residents active in Ichinoseki, and this time it’s Ms Kira Cicalo from Canada, who has lived in Ichinoseki for about ten years. In addition to English and Japanese, her mother is Italian and so she is also fluent in Italian.

Ms Kira Cicalo

Q: What are your interests?

A: I have five cats and two dogs and I enjoy playing with all of them, as I do growing roses and vegetables in my back garden. I also cook for my husband and friends. I like home-made pizza, and I love “taiyaki” so I often buy freshly-made ones at the store. Yum!

Q: What do you like about Ichinoseki?

A: It has beautiful nature, such as mountains and rivers. There is a lot of nature in Canada too, many forests and lakes.

Q: Is there anything you want to try with regards to children’s English education?

A: I want them to be able to speak with confidence, so I’ll teach them English I use and try different things.

Q: Lastly, a word on making the ILC a reality.

A: I heard that if the ILC comes it will have long-lasting economic effects, so as a resident of Ichinoseki I want to be pro-active in supporting it.

Ichinoseki Science Cafes

These sessions are a chance to chat with researchers and other experts over a coffee or juice and get closer to science and particle physics.
Venue: Ichinoseki City Library (Oomachi 2-46), second floor, “Sun Room”
Number of participants per session: about 30
Cost: 200 yen (students free)
Schedule: as outlined below
Applications and enquiries: ILC Promotion Division, Phone: 0191-21-2111 (interior line 8646, 8647)

Co-operation with ground surveys

Tohoku University will carry out boring surveys and ground vibration tests between July and December in the Daito area to analyze properties of the ground there. Ichinoseki City and Iwate Prefecture are co-operating to ensure a smooth carrying out of the surveys and have asked surveyors to sufficiently explain the tests to residents in the area. We ask for people’s understanding and co-operation.