In the most advanced research areas, it is becoming difficult for any university to maintain experimental and observatory facilities due to their increasing scale and sophistication. Therefore, the Inter-University Research Institutes that develop and prepare those facilities and make them available to researchers in Japan and abroad were established based on the National University Corporation Law.
The Inter-University Research Institutes Corporations run those Institutes, with four in Japan. KEK, the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, is one of them.
KEK is short for “Ko Energy-kasokuki Kenkyukiko,” which means “High Energy Accelerator Research Organization” in Japanese. The predecessor of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, the High Energy Physics Laboratory, was also abbreviated as KEK.
| Corporate Name | High Energy Accelerator Research Organization, an Inter-University Research Institutes Corporation |
| Representative | Director General Dr. Masanori Yamauchi |
| Locations | 1-1 Oho, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801 Japan (Tsukuba Campus) 203-1 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki 319-1106 Japan (Tokai Campus) |
| Phone | Phone +81-29-864-5114 (General Affairs Division) |
| Business hours | 8:30~17:00 |
| Established | April 1971 as the High Energy Physics Laboratory April 1997 the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization |
| Research area | Research on the structure and function of elementary particles, atomic nuclei, and materials using high-energy accelerators, and research to improve the performance of high-energy accelerators (Article 5 of the National University Corporation Law) |
| High Energy Accelerators at KEK | In Tsukuba: Linac, SuperKEKB, Photon Factory Light Source In Tokai: Linac, RCS, Main Ring |
| Affiliated Inter-University Research Institutes | Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies, Institute of Materials Structure Science (Article 1 of ministerial ordinance of the National University Corporation Law) |
| Number of employees | 1,084 (as of April 2023) |
| Site Area | 1.5 km2(Tsukuba Campus), 0.1 km2(Tokai Campus) |
KEK has two institutes, two laboratories and one of the institutes of the World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI), which is promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
At the Tokai Campus, KEK and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) jointly operate the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC).
- Institute of Particle and Nuclear Studies (IPNS)
- Institute of Materials Structure Science (IMSS)
- Accelerator Laboratory (ACCL)
- Applied Research Laboratory (ARL)
- International Center for Quantum-field Measurement Systems for Studies of the Universe and Particles (QUP)
- Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC)
Our Logo
The combination of ellipses representing KEK symbolizes the various accelerators at KEK, and the curves that appear to fly outwards symbolize multiple probes such as synchrotron radiation, neutrinos, neutrons, and muons.
Permanent Exhibit and Lab Tour
We have the Permanent Exhibit, the KEK Communication Plaza, that showcases our research at the Tsukuba Campus. We also accept tours for groups of 10 or more people.
Open House
Every summer or fall, the Tsukuba Campus holds the KEK Open House, where anyone can freely tour the campus, and the Spring Campus Open House, which is in conjunction with Science and Technology Week. J-PARC center also holds an open house every year at the Tokai Campus.
KEK Original Goods
KEK original stationery and T-shirts are available at KEK kiosk, museum stores at various science museums, and online.