On September 15, 2026, Mr. Jun Sawada, Executive Chairman of NTT Inc. and Chairperson of the Committee on National Space Policy, visited the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) facilities in Chile.
Mr. Jun Sawada, Executive Chairman of NTT Inc. (center right), and Ms. Madoka Ikeda, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chairman, NTT Inc. (center left), visited the ALMA Observatory site on the Chajnantor Plateau in Chile. They were accompanied by Munetake Momose, Director of the NAOJ Chile Observatory (far left), and Norikazu Mizuno, Deputy Director of Operations, Joint ALMA Observatory (far right). Because of the site’s high altitude of 5,000 meters, the group used supplemental oxygen during the visit. (Credit: NAOJ)
Mr. Sawada visited both the Array Operations Site (AOS), located at an altitude of 5,000 meters where ALMA’s 66 antennas are operated on the Chajnantor Plateau, and the Operations Support Facility (OSF), located at an altitude of 2,900 meters near San Pedro de Atacama, where scientific operations of the observatory are conducted.
At the AOS, he toured key facilities including the correlator, the supercomputer that combines signals collected by the antennas to produce astronomical images. He also visited the Atacama Compact Array (ACA), also known as the Morita Array, a 16-antenna system contributed by Japan. Near the ACA, he witnessed the coordinated movement of antennas during scientific operations, highlighting the scale of the observatory.
At the OSF, Mr. Sawada toured the control room and laboratories. He received explanations about observatory operations, international cooperation in receiver cartridge development, and contributions from East Asia, including Japan, to the maintenance of the cryogenic systems. He also viewed the antenna transporters and an antenna undergoing maintenance.
At the ALMA Operations Support Facility (OSF). Mr. Jun Sawada, Executive Chairman of NTT Inc. (center right), with Ms. Madoka Ikeda, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chairman, NTT Inc.(far left), Norikazu Mizuno, Deputy Director of Operations, Joint ALMA Observatory (center left), and Munetake Momose, Director of the NAOJ Chile Observatory (far right). (Credit: NAOJ)
Following the tour, Mr. Sawada joined Munetake Momose, Director of the NAOJ Chile Observatory, and Norikazu Mizuno, Deputy Director of Operations, Joint ALMA Observatory, for a luncheon discussion. Under the theme “In Search of Our Cosmic Origins,” they discussed the scientific significance of ALMA’s latest scientific achievements and the observatory’s role in advancing our understanding of the Universe. They also exchanged views on how technological advances are shaping future instrument development and scientific research, including the ongoing “ALMA 2” project, which NAOJ is advancing in coordination with the Wideband Sensitivity Upgrade (WSU), as well as the growing use of AI in observatory operations and data analysis. The discussion further highlighted the importance of Japan’s participation as a major partner in a globally accessible, internationally operated large-scale scientific facility such as ALMA, and covered a broad range of topics related to the future of astronomical research and international collaboration.
