Mr. Naoto Nikai, the Japanese Ambassador to Chile, visited TAO base facility

On April 23-24, 2015, Mr. Naoto Nikai, the Japanese Ambassador to Chile, visited the city of San Pedro de Atacama to observe the TAO base Facility. Also, He met Mayor Sandra Berna and two high school students who visited Japan in November 2014 and experienced homestays for 3 weeks through the exchange program between San Pedro City and Adachi ward, Tokyo.

At the front gate of TAO base facility. Left is Mr. and Mrs. Nikai, Ambassador and his wife. Right is Mr. Matsubara who contributed to the construction of the base facility.

Visit to TAO base Facility

Ambassador Nikai visited the TAO base Facility which has been completed in 2014, and saw laboratories, accommodation rooms, kitchens and so on. Mr. Matsubara, who contributed to the construction of the base facility, explained that this facility will be the base for the operation and development of the TAO telescope in the future, and that the construction work was conducted by the local company in San Pedro City.

TAO has signed a collaborative research agreement with NAOJ and has been promoting the cooperative observational research on infrared and submillimeter wave astronomy. At the time of ambassador Nikai's visit, Associate Professor Okuda of the NAOJ Chile Observatory was staying in the research building for the observation with the ASTE telescope. ASTE telescope is located at the foot of Co. Chajnantor where the TAO site is situated. He told the harsh observation environment and operation situation of the ASTE telescope (altitude 4860 m), and the cooperation system of the telescope with the TAO project. The next day, Ambassador Nikai visited the ALMA Observatorywhich is located at the foot of Co. Chajnantor.

Ambassador Nikai observing inside the laboratory (right) and Associate Professor Okuda who was staying at the base facility as a cooperative researcher for ASTE telescope observation (left).

At the entrance of the TAO base facility. Ambassador Nikai and his wife (3rd and 1st person from the right), Dr. Hasegawa, director of the NAOJ Chile Observatory who accompanied the visit (4th person from the left)、Associate Professor Okuda (3rd person from the left).

Meeting with the Mayor of San Pedro

Ambassador Nikai met Mayor Sandra Berna and exchanged views on interaction between San Pedro City and Japan, including astronomy. Also, he met two high school students living in San Pedro City who experienced homestays for 3 weeks from November 2014, through the exchange program between San Pedro City and Adachi ward, Tokyo, Japan.

Mayor Sandra Berna (3rd person from the right), Mr. and Mrs. Nikai, the Ambassador and his wife, with Ms. Jasmine Maria and Ms. Claudia Catalina who are high school students living in San Pedro City.

About Interchange with San Pedro City, Adachi ward and the University of Tokyo

The relationship between San Pedro City and Adachi ward started with an agreement which was signed by the University of Tokyo and Adachi ward in July 2011, that leads the TAO project to provide the starry sky images taken at the summit of Co. Chajnantor to the planetarium of "Galaxcity", a complex facility in Adachi ward.

Then in 2012, mayor Sandra visited Japan and deepened friendship with District manager, Ms. Kondo. In response to the request of Mayor Sandra, "I also want children of Atacama to share their views in the outside world and to bear the future", the visit and homestay experience program of the high school students of San Pedro to Japan was realized in 2014.

Ms. Jasmine Maria and Ms. Claudia Catalina, who participated in the homestay program, visited the University of Tokyo on November 19, 2014, during their stay in Japan. They attended a lecture on "Medical Care and Education" by Lecturer Ohnishi, at the International Research Center for Medical Education, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo. Also, at the Laboratory of Embryology, the School of Science, they visited the laboratory and a breeding room of killifish, with the guidance of Associate Professor Irie. TAO introduced laboratories that met their desires in visiting the University of Tokyo, and an interpreter of Spanish, Ada Angel (wife of late Associate Professor Kimiaki Kawara who had been a member of TAO), to support the program. TAO will continue efforts to deepen the friendship between San Pedro City and Japan.

Reference

• Embassy of Japan in Chile HP, Ambassador Nikai visited ALMA and TAO (Spanish)