We would appreciate your understanding, and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

   Operation of J-PARC accelerators had been suspended following the fire on Tuesday, April 7; after safety checks, MLF user beam resumed on Monday, June 1. Regarding the MR accelerator, another failure occurred on Tuesday, June 2 to a piece of equipment unrelated to the fire. We have been working to the repairs, but they are found to take time. We have determined that we must abandon MR user operations before summer.
   We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and trouble this incident caused.

   Sincerely,
   Takashi Kobayashi,
   Director of J-PARC Center

  JAEA and KEK have unique strengths in research and the facility utilization system. The Director of J-PARC Center is expected to manage the center with a full understanding of its strengths and the status of J-PARC as a "Global Public Facility" to maximize the research outcomes while putting the first priority on users' needs. The nominee is required to respect this fundamental management policy.

   In addition, the nominee should be a person of high integrity with great insights into education and research. He/she should also ensure the safety, maintenance and upgrading of the large-scale accelerator research complex and address international cooperation and exchanges as well as the development of human resources and compliance. He/she is bound to make the best efforts to build trust among neighboring municipalities in order to continue producing outstanding research outcomes as well. The nominee must meet the following conditions.

   We regret to inform you that an accident occurred today.
   At approximately 7:00 a.m. on April 7, a fire broke out from a high-voltage switchboard inside the J-PARC 50 GeV substation. The fire was extinguished by the public fire department at around 7:47 a.m., and there was no spread to other facilities.
   The cause of this fire is currently under investigation. Operation will be resumed after the cause has been identified and appropriate countermeasures have been implemented. However, we will not be able to announce a restart schedule any earlier than April 13.
   We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and trouble this incident may cause.
   We kindly ask for your understanding.

   Sincerely,
   Takashi Kobayashi,
   Director of J-PARC Center

  We would appreciate your understanding, and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

  International public voting for the Global Physics Photowalk 2025 began on January 13.
  The Global Physics Photowalk is an international photography event organized by the Interactions Collaboration, a worldwide group of science communicators in particle physics. In 2025, photowalks were held at 16 research institutions in Asia, Europe, and North America, and about 500 photos were submitted.
  From these submissions, the top three photos selected by each institution—48 photos in total—were chosen for the international public vote. The three photos that receive the most online votes will be announced as the global winners.
  J-PARC held its Photowalk 2025 on July 19, and the KEK Tsukuba Campus held its event on June 22. The winning photos from both facilities, chosen through a careful review process, are now competing with top photos from laboratories around the world.
  Your vote will help decide the winning photos from these 48 excellent images taken at research facilities worldwide. We encourage you to participate in the global voting. In addition to the public vote, an international panel of experts made up of experimental physicists, professional photographers, and science communicators will also evaluate the photos. The jury results will be announced together with the public voting results.
  The final award-winning photos will be announced and displayed on February 12 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Annual Meeting. Some of the winning photos will also appear in CERN Courier, the official magazine of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

How to Vote

Voting Site

Voting Period: January 13 (Tue), 2026 ~ January 27 (Tue), 2026 (UTC)

Voting Procedure

  ◯ Access the Voting Site
  Square photos will be displayed in a list. By clicking on a photo, you can view an enlarged image of the work along with its description.
  ◯ Select the Photo to Vote For
  Click the thumb icon below the photo you want to vote for. When selected, the banner will turn blue. Clicking it again will cancel your selection. You may choose up to five photos.
  ◯ Confirm Your Vote
  When you click the blue 'Vote' button at the bottom of the page, a field to enter your email address will appear. After entering your email address, click the 'Submit' button to confirm your vote.
  ◯ Voting Limit
  You can vote once per day during the voting period (based on CST). Please wait at least one full day before submitting another vote.
  ◯ Privacy Policy
  All submitted data is securely managed by Interactions Collaboration. Personal information is treated as confidential and will not be shared with any external organizations. The data will be used solely for the purpose of verifying the validity of the votes.

Related Articles / Pages

Announcement of the Results of "J-PAEC Photo Walk 2025"

  We would appreciate your understanding, and apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.

 We apologize for your inconvenience.
  Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

   Takashi Kobayashi, Director of J-PARC Center

   Takashi Kobayashi, Director of J-PARC Center