On June 8th, the Tohoku ILC Promotion Council petitioned the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan’s ruling party) to take a positive stance on hosting the ILC in Japan. Secretary-general of the LDP, Toshihiro Nikai, met with the group, and according to those in attendance, he showed his understanding of their stance and said, “Let’s work hard.”

Members who visited the LDP headquarters including Hideo Ono (President of Tohoku University), Hiroaki Takahashi (honorary chairman of the Tohoku Economic Federation), Takuya Tasso (Governor of Iwate), and Atsuto Suzuki (Director of the Tohoku ILC Preparation Office and President of Iwate Prefectural University). They handed over the petition to Mr. Nikai.

According to those in attendance, at a dialogue not open to the public, the Tohoku ILC Promotion Council group explained the significance of the ILC as well as how passionate the local area is about the project. After the meeting, Governor Tasso said, “Mr. Nikai listened very intently.”

They also handed a petition to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

The Kitakami mountains of Iwate Prefecture are the leading candidate site for the ILC, and the current focus is whether or not the Japanese government will host the project.