At the invitation of Japanese solar physics academia, a group led by Prof. Yu Liu, the chief scientist of the Site Survey and Coronal Observation Group of the Yunnan Observatories, visited multiple Japanese astronomical facilities during July 4 to 14. The delegation held over twenty productive talks with solar research teams from National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Kyoto University, Ibaraki University, and other academic institutions.

The delegation introduced Yunnan Observatories’ recent slew of achievements made in key areas such as site survey, Lijiang coronagraph, ultra-high-resolution solar observation by NVST in Fuxian Lake, solar coronal activities, and especially the design and establishment of future large-aperture coronagraph.

Hailing the long-standing friendship and fruitful cooperation between solar physicists from the two countries, Prof. Liu extended gratitude for Japan’s active alignment with the development of Yunnan Observatories, and called on the two sides to continue to expand pragmatic cooperation in these booming areas and lift bilateral ties to a new level. Liu’s Japanese counterparts said Japanese institutions highly value their cooperative ties with Yunnan Observatories and stand ready to enhance all-round cooperation in these promising fields.

The visit was supported by Kazunari Shibata, President of the Japan Astronomical Society, Takashi Sakurai, former deputy director of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Kiyoshi Ichimoto, the chief scientist of the Solar-C Space Solar Telescope Project, and Nozawa Satoshi from Ibaraki University.