Japan & Telescope Funding

Japan suspends annual funding for Hawaii telescope project

Japan has suspended its yearly funding for a giant telescope project in Hawaii, citing an ongoing stalemate over its construction

ABC News, March 4, 2020

HONOLULU -- Japan suspended its yearly funding for a giant telescope project in Hawaii, citing an ongoing stalemate over its construction. Japan is not completely pulling out of participation in the Thirty Meter Telescope project on the summit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii Public Radio reported. An international consortium wants to build the telescope atop the state's highest mountain on the Big Island. Japan supplies components for the telescope.

Tomonori Usuda, telescope project manager for Japan, confirmed the Japanese government reduced funding for the project due to the situation on Mauna Kea. But Japan is still committed to Hawaii as the preferred site for the telescope, Usuda said. Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim announced a two-month moratorium on construction in late December. Kim said Monday he had not received a reply from telescope representatives to his February request for a two-month extension of the moratorium...

Former Tokyo resident Ikuko Kurata, who helped organize a meeting between telescope opponents and consulate staff, told Hawaii Public Radio that the project may not be known in Japan. “Not many Japanese know about this issue,” said Kurata. “They don’t know 135 million yen (in) tax money is being used for TMT.” The current value of 135 million yen is about $1.2 million.

Full story at https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/japan-suspends-annual-funding-hawaii-telescope-project-69396378