March 2011
I would like to express my deepest condolences for the many people who lost their lives in the Tohoku Earthquake and subsequent tsunami, as well as my heartfelt sympathy to the surviving victims, their families and friends, who are struggling now in the aftermath of the greatest disaster to strike Japan in decades.
This disaster has caused considerable damage to a number of universities and research institutions located in the Tohoku region and parts of Kanto, and is a major setback for scientific research throughout Japan. The Advanced Science Institute (ASI) and RIKEN, of which we are a part, will do everything in our power to minimize the impact of this disaster on Japan's science and technology. To this end, we have launched a wide-reaching support program for the Japanese scientific community.
RIKEN ASI invites graduate students and researchers at the affected universities and research institutions to use ASI laboratories and facilities to continue, to the extent possible, their research and experiments. Those who would like to receive this kind of support are asked to contact the relevant ASI laboratories directly or send an email to asi_shinsai_support@riken.jp to work out the details of how many people the labs can host and for how long.
Please note that rolling blackouts and other obstacles related to the disaster may prevent some labs from hosting certain types of research activities.
Please be assured that we are ready and waiting to do everything in our power to assist.
Kohei Tamao
Director
RIKEN Advanced Science Institute