May 29, 2013

Message from Director of J-PARC Center

Dear all,

      Firstly I express my deepest apology for the accident that occurred at the J-PARC Hadron Experimental Facility on the 23rd of May 2013 at J-PARC. I also deeply regret that we could not prevent the internal radiation exposure to the users who worked at the facility as a head of the user facility, J-PARC.

      When the malfunction of the beam extraction system happened and the beam stopped, we failed to correctly recognize the cause and the seriousness of this system trouble. As a result, the evacuation of the users from the facility was delayed and some of them received radiation exposure. Operation of ventilation fans of the hall led to the leakage of radioactive material out of the radiation controlled area. Particularly this leakage should not have happened and seriously undermined the trust from the local communities, the authorities, and the entire nation.

      All the J-PARC facilities have been shutdown since the accident. A full investigation of the cause of the accident is now underway along with the complete review of safety practices and emergency procedures at all J-PARC facilities. Our first priority is to restore public trust in the facility by developing and implementing measures to prevent the reoccurrence of an accident and to provide a safe experimental environment for users and workers.

      We would deeply appreciate your understanding and continuous support.

Sincerely yours,

Yujiro Ikeda
Director of the J-PARC Center