Wednesday (8/21) a decision was unofficially announced by a group of specialized researchers enlisted to investigate and present Japan’s candidate sites in the bid for the International Linear Collider (ILC), a cutting-edge particle accelerator. They will release an official statement tomorrow, Aug. 23. Since January, the researchers have been comparing the two candidate areas – Tohoku and Kyushu – and yesterday announced their decision to back Tohoku’s Kitakami mountain range (Miyagi Pref./Iwate Pref.) as Japan’s preferred candidate for the ILC. One of the reasons Kyushu’s Sefuri Mountains (Fukuoka Pref./Saga Pref.) was not chosen is due to an active fault line in the area. In collaboration with the “ILC Strategy Council”, the researchers spent over 300 hours comparing the two areas in over 50 categories, including geological features, water supply, electricity, medical and educational facilities and convenience for overseas visitors. The Japanese Government will come to an ultimate decision regarding the candidate area in September, based on the ILC Strategy Council report, as well as a recommendation from the “Science Council of Japan”. After that, the government will enter a process of meetings, where they will weigh up the pros and cons and decide how to proceed. Although there are many economic and other benefits predicted for the country that ultimately wins the bid for the ILC, support for Japan’s bid is not unanimous. Some members of national government have expressed concerns regarding the initial and ongoing expenses of the project: it’s slated to cost approximately ¥830 billion for construction of the ILC and ¥30 billion per year for operation expenses. Japan must pay half of this amount if it is successfully chosen as the ILC location. However, the “ILC Strategy Council” is strongly pushing the government to do all they can to bring the ILC to Japan. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun, Aug. 22
