On May 8, Ambassador of Spain to Japan, Iñigo de Palacio España, together with Cultural and Scientific Attaché Fernando Curcio and Dr. Susana de Vega, visited the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK).
Welcoming the delegation, KEK Director General Shoji Asai introduced KEK’s research activities and highlighted the many collaborations with Spain, including contributions to the Belle II, T2K, and Hyper-Kamiokande experiments.
Spain has made significant contributions to the Belle II international collaboration experiment hosted by KEK, particularly through the development of the Pixel Detector (PXD). Spain has also contributed continuously from the T2K experiment to the Hyper-Kamiokande project at J-PARC, including the development of photomultiplier tube (PMT) covers, which are crucial for detector safety.
Ambassador de Palacio expressed his pleasure at visiting KEK and provided an overview of the Spain-Japan Symposium on Science, Technology and Innovation, organized by the Government of Spain and scheduled for November 22–24, 2026.
During the discussion, the Ambassador proposed to invite the KEK Director General or another KEK representative to speak in the symposium. Director General Asai responded that KEK would be pleased to participate.
Following the meeting, Ambassador de Palacio toured the Tsukuba Experimental Hall, where the Belle II detector is installed, and interacted with researchers on shift in the control room.
It is hoped that the Ambassador’s visit and KEK’s participation in the symposium will further strengthen cooperation between Spain and KEK.
