Keynote Speech (English Translation)by
SHIONOYA Ryu
Member of the House of Representatives of Japan
Good morning and thank you for the introduction. I am Shionoya Ryu, and I serve as Director-Generalof the Federation of Diet Members supporting the ILC.
First, I would like to express my heartfelt sympathy to those who were affected by the giant typhoons
and my condolences to those who passed away. And, once again, I would like to express my deepest
gratitude to those around the world who sent us support after the Great East Japan Earthquake. I hearthat some of you attending the LCWS workshop will be headed to the typhoon-affected area to do
volunteer work. I am very grateful to all your help.
It is an honor to be here today at LCWS 2019, and to speak on behalf of many Diet members supportingthe construction of the ILC in Japan. I would like to tell you today about the recent progress on the ILC,
on behalf of the non-partisan Federation of Diet Members for the ILC, as well as the Liberal Democratic
Party’s Liaison Committee for Realization of the ILC.
As you know well, at the March 7th ICFA/LCB international meetings held in Tokyo, Director-General
Dr. Isogai of the Research Promotion Bureau of MEXT announced the view on the ILC. It stated asfollows: Following the opinion of the Science Council of Japan, MEXT has not yet reached declaration
for hosting the ILC in Japan at this moment. Nevertheless, “MEXT will continue to discuss the ILC
project with other governments while having an interest in the ILC project.” This was the first time theJapanese government officially expressed its interest in the ILC project, and we hear that this was highly
welcomed by ICFA. On the other hand, we are also aware that the statement was a little disappointing
to those who were hoping for something more forthcoming.
The important point here is that this expression of interest by the Japanese government was the result of
the coordination by relevant ministries and agencies, including the Prime Minister’s Office and thefinancial authorities. This is in line with what we have been advocating for some time – that the ILC
project must be driven as a nation-wide joint effort, going beyond the boundaries of ministries andagencies. It shows that the ILC is not just another project in science and technology. We will indeed
make “all-Japan" efforts to realize this project.
Furthermore, the statement mentions not only the scientific significance of the ILC project but also “itseffect on the local community.” This clearly refers to the Tohoku area being the host of the ILC project.
In Japan, the understanding by local community has a large impact on the implementation of politicaland budgetary agendas. In recent years, the significance of science and technology as public asset isreceiving increasing attention. Thus, it is very significant in policymaking terms that the effect on thelocal community was clearly mentioned. This achievement was made possible by many years of intense
efforts by the people in the Tohoku area.
The other day, I met with the Mayor and others of Hida City in Gifu Prefecture, which is home to the
Kamiokande experiment. I heard that the children of Hida City look to Kamiokande as pride of the local
community. In the Tohoku area, many efforts are ongoing on a daily basis for the realization of the ILC
led by the members of the economic circles and the local governments who are here with us today.
Children are the bearers of our future. The whole society must support them so that they can grow andpursue their dreams. It is our job, as politicians and as adults, to make sure of this. We will make every
effort to realize the ILC, so that, one day, the children of the Tohoku area will look to the ILC as pride

of the community, and become pioneers of a new era, having witnessed the realization of this project.
In any event, March 7th marked a big step forward both politically and administratively. The legislativeand executive branches have now started to work proactively on a new process to realize Japan’s
ambition to lead a large-scale international laboratory. The MEXT statement is the official position of
the Japanese government, confirmed not only by the Minister of MEXT, but also by the Minister of Statefor Science and Technology Policy, and also by the Chief Cabinet Secretary Mr. Suga, who stated thatthe government is “in accord with the MEXT’s view”.
As for the Japanese actions after March 7th, on June 21st, the 2019 version of the “Basic Policy on
Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform” was adopted by the Cabinet. It is a set of basic policy
guidelines on economic and fiscal management, led by the Prime Minister, to be used by the Japanese
government. In this Basic Policy, a new statement was included, which says: “The government will
work to strategically promote large research facilities including international institutions that lead theworld’s scientific frontier and try to maximize common use among industry, academia, and government.
The government will also use public-private structures to promote large research institutions that induce
high level of benefits from private investment.” This paragraph has a footnote which explicitly says thestatement refers to large projects in academic research including “particle physics”. The ILC project
clearly falls under this statement, and the fact that this was included in the government’s basic policy
shows that we are steadily making progress.
On March 7th, the MEXT Director-General presented two action items. The first item is to establish an
ILC discussion group with Europe, similar to the US-Japan discussion group. The second is to create aninternational working group at KEK for preparing the basic plan for international resource sharing. Lastmonth, KEK released its recommendations from the International Working Group. This will become afirm basis towards the realization of the ILC, and it is highly appreciated by the Federation of Diet
members for the ILC.
Furthermore, members of the Federation visited Germany and France in July, just before the generalelections of the upper house in Japan. Our delegation team included Federation Chair, the Honorable
Kawamura Takeo as the delegation leader, MEXT Deputy-Director General, and KEK Director-General
Dr. Yamauchi. We visited the government and parliament of Germany and France, and we agreed to set
up ILC discussion groups between Germany and Japan, and between France and Japan. We heard thatthe first meeting of the Germany-Japan discussion group was held on October 9th, and the France-Japandiscussion group is under preparation to be started soon. At the Germany-Japan meeting, concrete
discussions took place concerning the international sharing based on KEK’s recommendations.
Similarly to the US-Japan discussion group, which has already met many times, we hope to see further
progress at the government-level discussions, including the financial aspects.
Concerning the US-Japan cooperation, the Federation of Diet Members for the ILC has had many
meetings since 2013 in Washington DC as well as in Tokyo. Most recently, we had meetings on the ILC
with Under Secretary, the Honorable Paul Dabbar and Office of Science Director, Dr. Chris Fall of the
US Department of Energy. I would like to add that the US-Japan relation is stronger than ever, and thepolitical and administrative aspects are both working towards the realization of the ILC.
Concerning the next steps, currently, the Master Plan process of the Science Council of Japan is ongoing,
which is a normal process done every three years, to discuss large-scale projects including the ILC. In
Europe, I believe the discussions for the update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics are ongoing.
We will be closely watching the progresses of these two discussions.

For Japan, the ILC is about realizing an international research institution in collaboration with the world
and assuming the leadership role. This is an unprecedented challenge, but we have made progress bymaking new processes and through trial and error. The road ahead is not simple, but we have now
embarked on the world stage.
The most important issue here is securing the budget necessary for the preparations and studying thefinancial resources needed for the construction. In parallel with the administrative process by thegovernment, we, as politicians in the legislative branch, will make actions in earnest toward
implementing the preparatory budget and discussing the financial resources for the construction.
The Federation of Diet Members for the ILC was established in 2006. For many years since then, we
have worked together with researchers to establish a cooperation among the industries, academia, andadministration, aiming at realization of the project. We know that your sincere efforts to seek the truth
have had far-reaching influence beyond particle physics, contributing to common issues for all humanity.
It is because of this that we politicians try to realize policies, believing that researchers’ daily efforts touncover the mystery of the Universe will one day come to fruition, satisfying the curiosity of all
humanity.
What we would like to ask the researchers gathered here today is about the cost reduction of the ILC. In
order to realize large-scale projects, financial resources will always be a big issue. We hope to see further
progress on the research in the ongoing discussions about cost reduction, incorporating the fast-evolving
technological innovations. Investing in science and technology is our political responsibility. Let us
continue to work together as a team to realize this grand project called the ILC.
In recent years, I have never felt so strongly about the importance of international cooperation andexchange than this year. Tomorrow, the final game of the Rugby World Cup will be held. Many people
around the world visited Japan for this World Cup providing an excellent opportunity for them to get toknow Japan. And next year, the long-awaited Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games will be held.
Following them, the ILC should be our next contribution to the world and all humanity. We are renewing
our commitment to realize the ILC project in Japan, as the first large international research center in
Asia.
In May this year, His Majesty the Emperor took the throne, and the new era of “Reiwa” has begun. Last
week, the enthronement ceremony was held, with dignitaries from over 180 countries attending the event.
Prime Minister Abe spoke at the most recent Diet session about his new resolution to create a country
that is fitting of the new era of Reiwa, full of hope and pride, to be passed on to the next generation. I
have no doubt that the ILC should be realized, in the new era of Reiwa in Japan, together with the world.
The ILC will show us the future. Let us work together for its realization. Thank you for your attention.
Thank you very much.