Condolences to Hokuriku District in Japan and Invitation to PPC13

First of all, we would like to express our condolences to those who lost their lives in the "Noto Peninsula Earthquake of 2024" that occurred on this January 1st and our heartfelt sympathy to the victims and their families and relatives.

As the news reports on the damage, especially in the epicenter area of northern Ishikawa prefecture, have been reported daily, the damage severity is becoming more apparent. Many houses have collapsed in the affected region, and a large fire broke out in Wajima City. We can only hope that the lives of those affected will soon return to ordinary fashion. We will provide as much support as possible for the early recovery.

The 13th International Workshop on Positron and Positronium Chemistry (PPC13) will be held at the Kanazawa Chamber of Commerce & Industry near Kanazawa Castle Park in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, from October 27, 2024. Originally scheduled to be held three years after PPC12, held in Lublin in 2017, the meeting had been planned to be held four years later than the original date due to COVID-19.

In response to the earthquake, we asked the Kanazawa Convention Bureau, cooperating in the planning and operation of the workshop, about the current situation. They notified that the damage to Kanazawa City, located in the southern part of Ishikawa Prefecture, was fortunately relatively light and that there is no problem to hold the workshop. In fact, the LOC decided to hold the workshop as scheduled because maintaining the ordinary lifestyle and commercial activities in the less damaged areas will contribute to the early recovery of the affected areas. Kanazawa is a splendid city with its old townscape and delicious food and drinks. We plan to organize social events, including a traditional craft experience in the city, which will give you a chance to experience the culture of Ishikawa. We hope many of you and your families will participate in this event.

As the international positron community has scarcely had a face-to-face meeting for these years, we believe this will be an excellent opportunity to share our research results with all participants. The organizing committee will make every effort to make this workshop worth your participation.

Now that the methodology of online meetings has been established and their effectiveness has become common knowledge after COVID-19, we believe the significance of face-to-face discussions is being recognized again. We would like to ask for your participation in the International Workshop on Positron Science, held in Kanazawa in a face-to-face format.

We are looking forward to meeting you all at PPC13.

Tetsuya Hirade
On behalf of the LOC of PPC13