The nonpartisan federation of diet members working to bring the International Linear Collider to Japan (Chairman Takeo Kawamura) will visit the United States in February, accompanied by Iwate Prefectural University president Atsuto Suzuki and members of the Iwate Prefecture ILC Promotion Council. President Suzuki will give advice on establishing a framework for the international research facility, while the promotion council will convey the hometown enthusiasm of people at the Kitakami mountains (highlands) site for the ILC. The aim of the visit is to give a boost to forming Japan-United States cooperation on the issue, and generate momentum for realizing the ILC.

According to officials, the group will meet people from the legislature, the government, universities and research facilities. The diet members to go on the trip are under consideration.

Accompanying members of the group from Iwate prefecture are Iwate ILC Promotion Council Chairman (and Chairman of Iwate Federation of Commerce and Industry) Kunihisa Yamura, Vice Chairman Tetsu Tamayama, and Secretariat Takeshi Sarukawa.

Iwate Prefectural University President Suzuki is expected to make suggestions on how to develop the ILC’s operation structure based on in-person observations at other international projects such as the established accelerator research lab CERN in Switzerland. It is believed to take the form of a work schedule incorporating the ILC’s ten-year construction period.