Wednesday, 27 August 2003

Click photographs to enlarge

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited Toyama and Gifu Prefectures to observe facilities including the Kamioka Observatory, Institute for Cosmic Ray Research (ICRR). Prime Minister Koizumi first visited the Kamioka Observatory, ICRR in Kamioka-cho, Gifu Prefecture. This facility has an observatory detector of cosmic elementary particles, the KAMIOKANDE (Kamioka Nucleon Decay Experiment), which was constructed mainly by Mr. Masatoshi Koshiba, Professor Emeritus of the University of Tokyo, who received the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2002. The KAMIOKANDE is known to be the first in the world to succeed in detecting neutrinos from a supernova explosion. Currently, the larger-scale Super-KAMIOKANDE (Super-Kamioka Neutrino Detection Experiment) is conducting the observations. Prime Minister Koizumi received explanations on the structure of the observatory detector and their research results from Mr. Koshiba, and signed "The cosmos is full of dreams" on the door to the control room as a commemoration. Prime Minister Koizumi then visited Sakatani Nosan in Fukuno-machi, Toyama Prefecture which makes great achievements in pioneering corporate-type agriculture management and received explanations on the large-scale agriculture management. Furthermore, Prime Minister Koizumi visited clusters of Ainokura Gassho-style (A-frame) houses which have been inscribed on the World Heritage List in Taira-mura (so-called Gokayama area), Toyama Prefecture and observed the ongoing construction site of the Hida Tunnel on the Tokai Hokuriku Highway which will become the second longest tunnel in Japan. Prime Minister Koizumi commented, "Watching the energy and enthusiasm of the people in various fields made me feel energetic, as well. I was really encouraged by them."