IwateAt an information session for proposals to the Iwate Prefectural Assembly on June 13th, Iwate Prefecture reported that it would temporarily halt the subdivision and sale of the industrial land sites in the Nagahama/Yamaguchi district of Ofunato Port. If the ILC is realized in Iwate, the prefecture envisions it may use these sites.

The Ofunato Port (on the southern coast of Iwate) is the closest port within the prefecture to the ILC candidate site. If the ILC is realized, then this port would be necessary for transporting parts from abroad and for building stockyards for storage.

The Tohoku ILC Preparation Office (Director: Prof. Atsuto Suzuki, president of Iwate Prefectural University and former head of KEK) will be putting together a master plan within the fiscal year that deliberates on how to be prepared to accept the ILC. The Iwate Prefectural Government wants to push forward debate on using Ofunato Port and other ports in Iwate.

The industrial sites in question are behind a sea wall that is adjacent to a quay 13 meters in depth. Out of a total 11.7 hectares, the division and sale of the first section (5.7 hectares) was begun in September 2016, but there were no bids. The prefecture broadened usage parameters and put the section on sale again in February 2017. The halting of its sale will last for the foreseeable future. Executive Director Jun Sasaki of the Iwate Prefecture Office of Science and ILC Promotion stated, “We could potentially use Ofunato port (for the ILC), and we would like to prepare ourselves for using Iwate resources to their fullest extent.”