On August 6, Koichi Hagiuda, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and Hiroshi Ikukawa, Director-General of the Research and Development Bureau of MEXT, visited the Mitaka campus of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). At the NAOJ Advanced Technology Center, they were welcomed by Yoshinori Uzawa, Director of the Advanced Technology Center, who led the development of the ALMA Band 10 receiver, and given explanation of superconducting receivers developed by NAOJ. The tour also included viewing of the clean room for the development of the superconducting junction device (SIS junction), which is the heart of the receiver, metal processing machinery used for fabrication of the receiver, and the metal 3D printer, which is expected to be a key instrument for the future receiver development. Throughout the tour, they were expressing interest in the cutting-edge technology developed by NAOJ.

MEXT Minister Koichi Hagiuda (on the right) and Director-General of the Research and Development Bureau of MEXT Hiroshi Ikukawa (the third from the right), receiving explanation of the ALMA receiver at the Advanced Technology Center of NAOJ.
Credit: NAOJ