The Science Council of Japan has officially rejected the proposal for constructing the International Linear Collider (ILC) due to its exorbitant estimated cost of 800 billion JPY. The council highlighted the lack of clarity regarding international cost-sharing, which has hindered potential collaboration from other countries. The absence of commitment from Japan to cover a portion of the costs has been identified as a significant barrier, as typically, the host country is expected to contribute half of the expenses. This decision reflects Japan's current priorities and the competitive landscape of global particle physics projects.
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It would have been more clear if Japan would have committed to spend some fraction of the cost. That would have given other countries a baseline.The council says whether the costs will be shared internationally is unclear