Lyn Evans giving a talk at AAA’s special lecture in Tokyo. Image: AAA
On 3 December, about 200 Japanese businesspeople and scientists gathered in Tokyo to attend the general meeting of the Advanced Accelerator Association Promoting Science and Technology (AAA). This was the last general meeting for the AAA and also the first meeting for the newly incorporated AAA.
AAA, Japan’s industry and academia collaboration, was established in 2008 as a voluntary association gathering about 100 companies, laboratories and universities. AAA has served as a forum for issues on R&D, intellectual property rights and other related areas concerning the ILC as a model project. AAA has also been actively conducting public outreach on the ILC, organising 21 ILC symposiums.
On 7 November, AAA made a fresh start as a general incorporated association.
“Now we can expand our activities and take advantage of the change of our legal status to an incorporated association,” said Takashi Nishioka, chair of AAA and senior corporate adviser of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Nishioka will continue to carry out his role as chair of the new AAA.
After the general meeting, three special lectures were given by executives of the Linear Collider Board (LCB) and the Linear Collider Collaboration (LCC): LCC Director Lyn Evans, LCC Deputy Director Hitoshi Murayama and LCB Director Sachio Komamiya.
Sadayuki Tsuchiya, Japan’s deputy minister of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) gave the opening address. He acknowledged that accelerator research is a driving force for scientific progress in 21st century and will take on increasing importance in the future.
“There is the momentum towards the realisation of the ILC in Japan,” he said.
In May, an expert panel was formed under MEXT to discuss whether to invite the ILC to Japan. “MEXT is conducting a comprehensive examination on various aspects of the ILC project, such as the international framework or the science merits,” Tsuchiya said.
Evans explained the status of the LCC’s study and effort in garnering support for the ILC’s construction.
“We are working hard now to try to convince Japanese government to go ahead, they have responded in forming the committees, and we are giving these committees all the information they request in order to allow the government to make a final decision,” he said. He also expressed his appreciation of Japanese government’s efforts and noted the need to bring together a consortium of countries and regions in order to build the ILC.
“We did that for LHC, and so there is no reason not to do it for the ILC,” he said. “So, let’s bring the ILC from dream to reality.”
Referring to the new AAA, Masanori Matsuoka, secretary general of AAA said, “This change of legal status allows us to reinforce our activities. Now we can accept outsourcing businesses or collect contributions. Such activities could not be managed as a voluntary association.”
The Japanese science community and AAA will co-host a symposium to be held during the next global linear collider workshop, ALCW2015, an international conference to be held in Tsukuba, Japan, in April 2015. Local organisers will announce symposium details soon.
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