(Reporting by the Sendai Branch of Iwate Nippo)
The Linear Collider Collaboration (LCC, the organization spearheading the ILC project) held a press conference in Sendai City at Tohoku University on May 21st. There, they stated that they will hold the next Linear Collider Workshop (LCWS) in Sendai, where they intend to call on the Japanese government to make a decision on the ILC.

At the press conference were Lyn Evans (U.K., director of the LCC), and fellow LCC member Prof. Hitoshi Yamamoto of the Graduate School of Science of Tohoku University. Dr. Evans said, “It is extremely important that we get the green light from the Japanese government within this year.” The national government did give their first statement of interest in the ILC in March 2019, but Evans stressed that they needed a stronger statement before LCWS.

He explained that the LCWS’s goal is to “aim to finish the design of the ILC, reduce costs, and improve the technology. We are also planning mini workshops specializing in new technology, and will share recent research developments.” Prof. Yamamoto stated, “This conference will also aim to encourage the realization of the ILC. We would like to deliberate on some sort of statement.”

The LCWS is held every year, rotating between Asia, Europe, and the United States. Around 200-300 accelerator researchers and business officials from around the world are planned to attend. The last time the LCWS was held in the Tohoku region was in Morioka City in 2016.

Atsuto Suzuki, president of Iwate Prefectural University, also attended the press conference. He said, “It is expected that there will be developments towards governmental talks. The LCWS will be another certain step towards the realization of the ILC.”