# High Energy Accelerator Research Organization > organization in Japan **Wikidata**: [Q2165768](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2165768) **Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KEK) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/high-energy-accelerator-research-organization ## Summary High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (commonly known as KEK) is a Japanese inter-university research institute corporation that operates major accelerator-based research facilities and supports high-energy physics and related fields. Founded in 1997 as the successor to the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics, KEK is headquartered in Tsukuba, Japan and runs facilities including J-PARC and the Photon Factory. ## Key Facts - Founded/inception: 1997; replaced the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. - Legal form: inter-university research institute corporation; parent organization: Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. - Headquarters: Tsukuba, Japan; coordinates listed approximately 36.148611 N, 140.076944 E (additional coordinate 36.149167 N, 140.075278 E). - Primary classification: research organization / research institute (instance_of: research organization, research institute). - Major subsidiaries/facilities: J-PARC and the Photon Factory. - Common names / aliases: KEK; Kō Enerugī Kasokuki Kenkyū Kikō; Inter-University Research Institute Corporation High Energy Accelerator Research Organization; and multiple Japanese, Chinese, Russian, and Arabic variants. - Official websites: http://www.kek.jp/en/ (English) and https://www.kek.jp/ja/ (Japanese). - Identifiers: ISNI 000000012155959X; ROR 01g5y5k24; GRID grid.410794.f; VIAF 129594287; GND 5314986-5; Ringgold 13551; corporate number (Japan) 4050005005267. - Social / public channels: Twitter @KEK_en (English) and @KEK_JP (Japanese); Facebook KEK.JP; YouTube channel ID UCMvGyDHrm820nYLUhwtm2DQ. - Memberships (examples): listed as a member on arXiv “Our Members / Tier 4” (point in time 2021) and a member of ORCID, Inc. (point in time 2023-10). ## FAQs ### Q: What is High Energy Accelerator Research Organization? A: It is a Japanese inter-university research institute corporation (commonly called KEK) that supports and operates accelerator-based research facilities for high-energy physics and related scientific fields. ### Q: Where is KEK located? A: KEK’s headquarters are in Tsukuba, Japan, with coordinates around 36.148611 N, 140.076944 E. ### Q: When was KEK established and what did it replace? A: KEK was formed in 1997 and replaced the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. ### Q: What major facilities does KEK operate? A: KEK’s listed subsidiaries/facilities include J-PARC and the Photon Factory. ### Q: How can I find KEK online? A: KEK’s official websites are http://www.kek.jp/en/ (English) and https://www.kek.jp/ja/ (Japanese); it also maintains Twitter accounts, a Facebook page (KEK.JP), and a YouTube channel (ID UCMvGyDHrm820nYLUhwtm2DQ). ## Why It Matters KEK serves as Japan’s central inter-university research organization for accelerator-based science and large-scale experimental facilities. As the legal successor to the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics, KEK provides national infrastructure for particle and accelerator research, hosting and managing facilities used by university and international researchers. Its organizational role under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology positions it to coordinate multi-institutional projects and to provide shared experimental resources like J-PARC and the Photon Factory. KEK’s presence in international research registries and identifiers (ROR, GRID, ISNI, VIAF, etc.) and memberships (for example, listings on arXiv and ORCID) reflect its integration in the global scientific infrastructure. For researchers, universities, and funders, KEK is a focal point for collaborative experiments, accelerator technology, and facility access in Japan. ## Notable For - Being the 1997 successor organization to Japan’s National Laboratory for High Energy Physics. - Operating major accelerator-based research facilities, specifically J-PARC and the Photon Factory. - Legal status as an inter-university research institute corporation under Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. - Broad international registry coverage and institutional identifiers (ISNI, ROR, GRID, VIAF, Ringgold, etc.). - Maintaining active public and institutional channels (English and Japanese websites, Twitter accounts, Facebook, and a YouTube channel). ## Body ### Overview - Official name: High Energy Accelerator Research Organization. - Common short name: KEK. - Primary purpose: research (instance_of: research organization; research institute). - Headquarters city: Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. - Legal parent: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Japan). ### History and legal status - Inception year: 1997. - Replaced: National Laboratory for High Energy Physics (listed as the predecessor organization). - Legal form: inter-university research institute corporation. - Corporate number (Japan): 4050005005267. ### Facilities and subsidiaries - J-PARC (listed as a subsidiary; grid reference grid.472503.7). - Photon Factory (listed as a subsidiary/facility). - Role: operates accelerator-based experimental facilities used by university and research communities. ### Location and contact details - Headquarters coordinates: approximately 36.148611, 140.076944 (primary); alternate coordinates 36.149167, 140.075278. - Official websites: English site http://www.kek.jp/en/; Japanese site https://www.kek.jp/ja/. ### Identifiers and registry entries - ISNI: 000000012155959X. - ROR: 01g5y5k24. - GRID: grid.410794.f. - VIAF: 129594287. - GND: 5314986-5. - Ringgold ID: 13551. - Other library/authority identifiers: NDL (00725424), LOC (no98124977), KISTI K000213366, CiNii research ID 1140845216588180992, SELIBR 216578, etc. - Encyclopædia Britannica entry tied to the National Laboratory for High Energy Physics topic. ### Memberships and partnerships - Listed as a member in arXiv’s “Our Members / Tier 4” (point in time 2021). - Member of ORCID, Inc. (point in time 2023-10). - Open Funder Registry ID: 501100006699. ### Public presence and social media - Twitter: @KEK_en (English) and @KEK_JP (Japanese) with account start dates and follower counts recorded in institutional data. - Facebook page: KEK.JP. - YouTube channel ID: UCMvGyDHrm820nYLUhwtm2DQ (channel metadata and follower counts recorded at multiple points in time; preferred follower count entry 7,800 as of 2025-11-08). - Commons category: KEK (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization). - Wikipedia title: KEK; sitelink_count: 17; available in multiple languages including ar, ca, de, en, es, eu, fa, fi, fr, id. ### Names and aliases - Aliases listed: KEK; Kō Enerugī Kasokuki Kenkyū Kikō; Inter-University Research Institute Corporation High Energy Accelerator Research Organization; Tokyo University Nuclear Research Institute variant names and multiple language translations (Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, etc.). ### Media and branding - Logo image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/KEK_JP_logo.svg. - Representative image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/KEK_and_Mt_Tsukuba.jpg (caption: "Site du centre de recherche KEK au pied de la montagne Tsukuba."). ## References 1. Virtual International Authority File 2. CiNii Research 3. [Our Members / Tier 4](https://web.archive.org/web/20211129171645/https://arxiv.org/about/ourmembers) 4. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20231020113811/https://orcid.org/members) 5. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013 6. Google Knowledge Graph 7. GRID Release 2015-12-14 8. GRID Release 2016-12-06 9. GRID Release 2017-01-10 10. Aligned ISNI and Ringgold identifiers for institutions 11. Microsoft Academic Knowledge Graph 12. YouTube API 13. [OpenAlex](https://docs.openalex.org/download-snapshot/snapshot-data-format)