Ichinoseki Linear Collider Bulletin
ILCNews vol.29 Jun 2019
A Rally for the ILC
On May 24th, the Association of Citizens Who Strongly Support the Realization of the ILC (Chairman: Koki Sato, Chairman of Ichinoseki Chamber of Commerce and Industry) held a rally for the ILC at Ohara Civic Center where around 400 people attended. At the end of the event, a rally declaration “The region will act as one to bring about the ILC” was adopted. This declaration will be delivered to the government (related ministries and agencies) in the future.
Outlook on the ILC and movements to follow
Specially-appointed lecturer Satoru Yamashita of the International Center for Elementary Particle Physics, Tokyo University.
Prof. Yamashita on the government's opinion expressed on March 7th: It was the first time that opinions were gathered from across ministries, which made this a very big deal. In particular, the word "interest" within the context of “continuing an international exchange of ideas with an interest in the ILC plan” is particularly important, and it can be seen as the government taking a great step. The High Energy Accelerator Research Organization’s (KEK) international working group is examining cost sharing and technical issues, and the results of the review will be compiled in September. Meanwhile it is important that the ILC is thoroughly discussed during the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s (MEXT) masterplan process and have people in various fields understand it, and in September a Master Plan hearing will take place. In addition, an international conference will be held in Sendai in October but it’s essential to proceed concurrently and steadily with KEK working group’s investigations and the discussions on the master plan by that point – it’s important to do everything with careful consideration. October will be a critical period. Following from there, we can enter the next stage.
Daito region’s initiatives to invite the ILC
Tamayoshi Obara of the Daito Regional ILC Committee.
There are four initiatives of the committee: 1) know about the ILC 2) get others to be familiar with the ILC 3) know about the local area 4) learn about community development. In order for everyone to know about the ILC, we have installed tools to assist in ILC education at the Daito Library, so please utilize them. We’ll continue to keep in mind ways to reassure (the community) while aiming towards hosting the ILC.
Report on the examination of inviting the ILC by young employees
Tsukasa Murata of Ryouban Industrial Plaza, Junior ILC Examination Association
We examined three themes of town development: (1) educating the children who will be responsible for the next generation, (2) creating an environment where foreigners can live with peace of mind, and (3) enhancing the appeal of the area to put a stop to population decline. We summarized the examination results of 2014 and submitted it as a report to the city. The utilization of the web application ‘Mapuko XD’, developed by Ichinoseki College of Technology, could help ILC and corporate promotion.
Pick Up News
ILC Lecture - In response to the Government's Expression of Interest
The Iwate ILC Promotion Council (Chairman: Kunihisa Yamura, Chairman of the Morioka Chamber of Commerce) held an ILC seminar at a hotel in Morioka on March 27th where about 400 people from in and around the prefecture gathered. The lecture was in response to March 7th, where the Japanese government expressed its interest toward the ILC for the first time. Kenshi Hirokane, the author who introduced the ILC in his popular manga ‘Chairman Kosaku Shima,’ said “I saw it as a national project and drew it so readers could understand that. The manga portrays the ILC as a means to create a city in Iwate that will connect with the world, and that it will become an example of Japan's growth. To gain a broader understanding we must strengthen measures of ministries and the media, and work together to attract the ILC to Iwate.”
ILC Commentary Seminar
The Tohoku ILC Preparation Office, which was established under the Tohoku ILC Promotion Council, held an ILC commentary seminar on March 17th at the Ohara Civic Center where about 100 people were in attendance. Jun Sasaki, executive director of Iwate Prefecture’s Office of Science and ILC Promotion, and Shinichiro Michizono of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) spoke on the latest developments and responded to questions about the ILC.
Student submits petition to MEXT
Graduates of Ichinoseki Daiichi High School, Hironobu Asari (sophomore of Iwate Medical University) and Ryota Konno, (sophomore of Tohoku University), handed in their petition aimed toward the realization of the ILC on March 28th to Masahiko Shibayama, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) . The petition was founded back when they were in high school and amassed signatures of 5,664 people. Asari hopes for, “the ILC to come to Iwate and for it to facilitate the academic and economic development of the prefecture.” Konno expressed that “as someone who studies physics, I want to do research at the ILC.”
News Clippings
Government expresses interest in the ILC for the first time
On March 7th, The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) expressed interest in the ILC for the first time, saying, “MEXT will continue to discuss the ILC project with other governments, while having an interest in the ILC.” In response, Geoffrey Taylor, Chairman of the ICFA (International Future Accelerator Commission), who is promoting the ILC internationally said, “We’re still very hopeful that in not too long a time we will end up with a positive response to hosting the ILC from Japan.” In addition, within ICFA’s statement on March 22nd, “ICFA views the statement of continuing interest in the ILC within MEXT and related ministries and agencies as an important milestone along the path to the ILC.”
New banners and posters
A new banner and poster were unveiled in Iwate Prefecture in response to the government's expression of interest. Iwate’s culture of gold inspired the lettering "We're ready for the ILC! –Bringing the ILC to Tohoku!" to be in gold. The banner is posted on the Iwate Prefectural Government Building and at the east exit of Ichinoseki Station.
KEK announces the establishment of an international working group
On April 2nd, in response to the government's expression of interest, The High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) stated its intention to establish an international working group made up of researchers to discuss the role sharing of technology and international costs, and will submit a report in September. The working group which consists of two members from Japan, two from the United States, and one member from France, Germany and India held their first meeting on May 17th.
Iwate-Miyagi joint meeting request
On April 18th, members of the Federation of Iwate and Miyagi Prefectural Assembly Members requested the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), MEXT and the Federation of Diet Members for the ILC to rank the ILC as a national project and expressed that the project should be hosted as quickly as possible.
The Tome ILC Promotion Council held a general meeting
On May 23rd, the Tome ILC Promotion Council held their annual general meeting in Tome City. About 100 delegates attended the assembly. Former Defense Minister, Itsunori Onodera of the House of Representatives, followed on with a special lecture on the invitation of the ILC, and said “the enthusiasm of the area, peaking the interest of the government, and the request from researchers; these three initiatives are what’re necessary.”
Bell’s Corner
The need to know more about 119 (emergency number for fire/ambulance) – extended version -
Although one of the first things that you learn when you live in Japan is to call 119 if there is a medical emergency, I didn’t expect myself to ever be in a situation where I would question calling in the face of an emergency.
One of my friends from the States was visiting Ichinoseki when he suddenly placed his hands on his chest, his face became bright red, but in that moment he kept repeating that we don’t call an ambulance. In the U.S it seems there are cases where calling an ambulance can result in fees in the 1000s to several 1000s, as an Australian, I don’t believe the ambulance is cheap by any means, especially without insurance. As we struggled to find hospitals that were open at night, my friend’s symptoms subsided. I said goodbye to him as he traveled off with another one of my friends, but I worried that if the symptoms were to come back or worsen, would they be able to call the ambulance in Japanese? The next day I told my friend about this and she said ‘the ambulance is free in Japan’ and that I should see what would happen if I were to call 119.
This motivated me to visit the Fire Department Head Quarters and learn about what would happen if a foreigner who cannot speak Japanese in Ichinoseki, were to call an ambulance. The fire department set up a trial call for me to test out the system. The first thing I did when I called 119 was say ‘English Please’ and shortly after, I was connected to a three-way interpretation system where the interpreter verified which language I needed. The system is also available in Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Chinese. I was also shown a tablet application which supports 15 languages. This is used when paramedics are called in to communicate with the patients.
Had I known this, I feel like I could have given better advice when my friend was in need. In case you were wondering about how he’s doing, he’s fine!
What brought you to Ichinoseki?
Kelsey Stephan (28) United States of America
Occupation: ALT (Assistant Language Teacher)
Interests: Reading, photography
Favorite place: Geibikei
Favorite food: Sashimi
Favorite event: Ichinoseki National Beer Festival
I became interested in the Japanese language when I was in high school. My Japanese teacher was from Iwate Prefecture. I had such a wonderful experience and wanted to do something to give back, so, after graduating university, I chose to teach English in Japan. Iwate Prefecture was my first choice and I was very happy to be placed in Ichinoseki City. I teach at a Junior and Senior High School within the city and enjoy interacting with my hard-working teachers and students. As I don’t have a car, I have a lot of time to enjoy the scenery in Ichinoseki while walking around the city. I enjoy going to shrines and temples and want to visit as many as I can while I am here. I especially love traditional Japanese crafts. While living here, I’ve been able to dye my own ‘tenugui’ and make Japanese desserts. The other day, I even bought my own ‘nanbu tekki teapot’!
Enquiries
Please call or email the ILC Promotion Division if you have any questions about content in this newsletter or other matters.
TEL: 0191-21-2111 (internal lines 8646 and 8647)
E-mail: ilc@city.ichinoseki.iwate.jp