Seed funding towards the construction of the next-generation water Cherenkov detector Hyper-Kamiokande has been allocated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) within its budget request for the 2019 fiscal year. Seed fundings in the past projects usually lead to full funding in the following year, as it was the case for the Super-Kamiokande project.
The University of Tokyo pledges to ensure construction of the Hyper-Kamiokande detector commences as scheduled in April 2020. The University of Tokyo has made this decision in recognition of both the project’s importance and value both nationally and internationally.
The neutrino research that lead to Nobel prizes for Special University Professor Emeritus Koshiba and Distinguished University Professor Kajita has entered a new era. The international community has demonstrated the need for Hyper-Kamiokande. The considerable expertise and achievements of the University of Tokyo and Japan, and unique and invaluable contributions from national and international collaborators will ensure the project will make significant contributions to the intellectual progress of the world.
Makoto Gonokami
President, The University of Tokyo