A symposium organized by the Iwate Prefecture ILC Promotion Council and other bodies was held in Morioka City on Tuesday, December 6, in conjunction with LCWS 2016 〓 an international workshop on future linear colliders which began the day before. Researchers from around the world had come to LCWS for presentations and discussions related to the ILC, and the symposium was held for residents to think about the ILC and to convey local enthusiasm to the rest of Japan and abroad.

Some 300 people in business, local government and so on in Iwate Prefecture attended the symposium, which was opened with remarks from prefectural governor Takuya Tasso, who said: “I hope to further yet the local understanding and enthusiasm for the ILC, and hope it becomes a reality.”

Dr Atsuto Suzuki, president of Iwate Prefectural University, then spoke about the current state of the ILC project and the impact the ILC would have on the region. He explained the basics of elementary particles, and said: “research at the ILC will be useful for the next generation, so I really hope we can bring it to fruition.”

A panel discussion followed about the future of the region and making use of local resources, between mayors and other representatives of Morioka City, Ichinoseki City, Oshu City, Kesennuma City, and Iwate Prefecture. Osamu Katsube, mayor of Ichinoseki City, talked about the possibility of locally producing food and other agricultural produce found abroad, and promoting cultural assets such as the world heritage sites in Hiraizumi, emphasizing: “it will be important to have a plan which includes adjacent cities and towns.”

Masaki Ozawa, mayor of Oshu City, referred to National Astronomical Observatory facilities and famous apples as examples of local assets, and said the area around Isawa Dam “can be used to promote sports and is a place for residents from abroad to enjoy.”

[Photo: Panelists talking about the use of local resources and the ILC]