Archives of Nuclear Fusion Research in Japan Junji FUJITA National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) The Graduate University for Advanced Studies July

Archives of Nuclear Fusion Research in Japan

Junji FUJITANational Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS)

The Graduate University for Advanced Studies

July 8, 2003/UCLA

Collaborators• Nisio, S., Uematsu, E, Kojima, E. (Nihon Univ.)

----- major in History of Science• Fujita, J. (NIFS, SOKENDAI, Prof. Emeritus), Kawakami, I. (Nihon

Univ. Professor Emeritus), Obayashi, H. (NIFS, Professor Emeritus), Namba, C. (NIFS), Sato K. N. (Kyushu Univ.), Sato, N. (Tohoku Univ. Professor Emeritus), Takeda, T. (The University of Electro-Communications), Terashima, Y. (Nagoya Univ. IPP, Professor Emeritus), +Wakatani, M. (Kyoto Univ.) ----- Nuclear Fusion, Plasma Physics

• Takaiwa, Y. (KEK, IPNS)----- High Energy Physics • Kimura, K. (Secretary) ------ Cross-cultural Study

+ passed away on January 9, 2003.

Archives of NFR in JapanJuly 8, 2003/UCLA

Background-1

• Nuclear fusion research (NFR) initiated in 1950s. • NFR has been conducted at universities under Monbusho and

Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst. (JAERI), etc. under Science and Technology Agency (STA) in Japan.

• NFR is one of big projects: good example from the viewpoint of science history.

• Important historical documents tend to be scattered and lost away, especially in the case the institutions were reorganized.

• It is urgently necessary to furnish database for archives.• Collaborative works have been carried out at NIFS with some

publications.


Background-2


• Nagoya is a sister city to Los Angeles.• UCLA and IPP Nagoya Univ. carried out collaborative research

under academic exchange agreement.• US/Japan cooperation program has brought fruitful results in t

he activity of nuclear fusion research.• IPP Nagoya U, PPL Kyoto Univ. and Inst. for Fusion Theory of

Hiroshima Univ. have been reorganized to establish National Institute for Fusion Science (1989).

• Science and Technology Agency and Monbusho have been reorganized to be MEXT(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) (2001).

Reorganization of MOE and STA

July 8, 2003/UCLAArchives of NFR in Japan

Objectives• 温故知新 (wen gu zhi xin)/Confucius (Kongzi, 孔

子 ); By exploring the old, one becomes able to understand the new)

• Explore documents and records of meetings and committees which are stored in NIFS.

• Provide database of these records for archives so that any scientists can access for retrieval.

• Circulate these database through INTERNET.• Furnish the database through interviews with key p

ersons (oral history technique).


NIFS Nuclear Fusion Database

• Database management software: FileMaker Pro (personal computer-based operation).

• The number of records: approximately 10,000.

• Each record has its own ID, and is stored in an envelope: 033-13, for example.

• Several records are kept in a cardboard box; each box has its own box number: B033.

• The number of boxes: approximately 300.• In future, planned to be stored in NIFS library

in order to release to the public.


Nuclear Fusion Archives Database-1

No. Item Description

1 Date registered Date the material is registered in the database

2 Date checked Date the material in the box is identified

3 ID number 5-digit number for each item; first three figures for the box-number and the rest for item identification

4 Date arranged Date the material is put in the box

5 Document source Person who offered the material

6 Title of the document As remained on original material

7 Subtitle As necessary

8 Year 19xx , 19xx 〜 19xx

9 Brief description of the contents

Materials in detail

10 Author or organization Document writer , letter sender, publisher

11 Date of issue Date the material is issued, written

12 Appearance or form Book, pamphlet, envelope, file, notebook, album

13 Box number Box number in three figures: Bxxx

July 8, 2003/UCLA

No. Item Description

14 Reference ID No. As necessary

15 Keyword 1Organization

Author, publisher

16 Keyword 2Classification

Scientific paper, meeting record, comment, news comment, letter, proposal, recommendation

17 Keyword 3Committee

Name of committee, conference, study group

18 Keyword 4Field or purpose

Research system, international collaboration, education, administration

19 Keyword 5Research field

Plasma physics, reactor engineering, heating etc.

20 Keyword 6Other information

As necessary

21 Remarks

July 8, 2003/UCLA

Nuclear Fusion Archives Database-2

Some features of the database

• Sources are localized, highly dependent on the contribution from individuals.

• Temporal fluctuations are observed, coincident with establishment of institutions or initiation of big projects.

• Decrease in the number of very recent records.


Record source distribution

Document ContributorsNIFS NUCLEAR FUSION ARCHIVES DATABASE

INTERNET0.5%

SEKIGUCHI20.4%

HUSIMI19.2%

HAYAKAWA6.9%IPP STAFF MEMBERS

15.1%

IPP OFFICE7.4%

OTHERS30.5%

関口

伏見

早川

旧Ｐ研職員

旧Ｐ研事務・他

提供者不詳

インターネット


Number of Records/year

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

1945 1950 1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000

year

num

ber

of

reco

rds

Archives of NFR in Japan

IPP Nagoya Univ.

July 8, 2003/UCLA

NIFS

• Prof. Sekiguchi, T. was invited to deliver a talk on “The historical review of the early days on nuclear fusion research in Japanese universities” at Informal colloquiums. [8, 9]

• Prof. Shafranov, V. D. was also invited to deliver a talk with a title of "First Period of Fusion History in Kurchatov Institute." [7]

Interviews


Chronological Table

• A table has been edited to include dates of events, meetings, committees, period of projects, etc. at IPP.

• The work is being extended further to cover those at other institutions in Japan.


1) To complement the archives by collecting systematically more materials in a nation-wide scale.

2) To further extend the activities by interviewing scientists to record their recollections and commentaries.

3) To find appropriate location for depository as well as inspection of archival materials.

4) To establish the archiving system with permanent staff and archivists.

Problems


Publications-1(in English)

[1] “Archival Studies on the Nuclear Fusion Research at Universities in Japan” Nisio, S. et al., Annual Report April 1999-March 2000, p. 379.


[3] “Archival Studies on the Committees for Nuclear Fusion Research at the Science Council in Japan” Terashima, Y., et al., Annual Report April 2000-March 2001, p. 398.

[4] “Plan A and the Establishment of the Institute of Plasma Physics” Uematsu, E., et al., Annual Report April 2000-March 2001, p. 399.


[6] “History of Nuclear Fusion Research in Japan” Uematsu, E., Takeda, T., Nisio, S., Historia Scientiarum 2nd Series, Vol. 10, No. 1 (2000), p.16.

[7] “First Period of Fusion History in Kurchatov Institute” Shafranov, V.D. Seminar in NIFS, Dec. 2000.


Publications-2 (in Japanese)

[8] NIFS-MEMO-33 “An Archival Study on the Fusion Researches in Japan from 1965 to 1986---An Interview with Sekiguchi Tadashi” Dec.2001.

[9] NIFS-MEMO-40 “An Archival Study on the Fusion Researches in Japan Later Half of 1980’s---An Interview with Sekiguchi Tadashi, Professor Emeritus at The University of Tokyo” May 2003.

[10] Archival studies on the nuclear fusion research at universities in Japan, Fujita, J., Kimura, K., Namba, C., Obayashi, H., Terashima, Y., The 56th Annual Meeting of the Physical Society of Japan, March 2001.

[11] On the discussions of the Committees for Nuclear Fusion Research at JSC, Terashima, Y., Obayashi, H., Kimura, K. The 56th Annual Meeting of the Physical Society of Japan, March 2001.

[12] History of Establishing the Institute of Plasma Physics at Nagoya University, Uematsu, E., Nisio, S., Takaiwa, Y., Takeda, T., The 57th Annual Meeting of the Physical Society of Japan, March 2002.

[13] Archival studies on the nuclear fusion research at universities in Japan II, Fujita, J., Kimura, K., Namba, C., Obayashi, H., Terashima, Y., The 58th Annual Meeting of the Physical Society of Japan, March 2003.


Documents

Archives of Nuclear Fusion Research in Japan Junji FUJITA National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) The Graduate University for Advanced Studies July