The Ofunato ILC Promotion Council was formed on May 9th, in hopes to prepare for the Ofunato port to become a storage spot for the parts that will be shipped to the area to construct the ILC. The Council is a joint public-private sector organization and will work to boost enthusiasm for the ILC project.

A kick-off ceremony was held at the Rias Hall in Ofunato’s Sakari district, with representatives of the 31 member organizations were in attendance (organizations include the local government, commerce associations, and private citizen groups, along with one observing organization). Ofunato mayor Kimiaki Toda assumed the role of Council Chair, and said, “We are in the final stages of bringing the ILC to Japan. We will work hard to boost the project’s profile in order to urge the national government to decide to host the ILC.”

This fiscal year, the Council will visit related national government bodies to petition for the ILC, as well as hold seminars for local citizens and elementary/junior high students.

Following the ceremony, Jun Sasaki (executive director of the Office of ILC Promotion at the Iwate Prefectural Government) gave a presentation. He demonstrated how many researchers and observers would come to visit Iwate in order to help bring the ILC to the area, and explained, “This will be a fantastic chance to show them how we have rebuilt since the 2011 tsunami, as well as to have them try the food of the coast.”

Ofunato City established a “Vision for developing Ofunato along with the ILC” in February 2019 in order to make the best use of the effects that will come with the ILC’s construction. This is the second such organization at the municipal level that joins together public and private entities in support of the ILC (the first was Oshu City).