N92-21676 PROGRESS OF RESEARCH OF HIGH-Tc SUPERCONDUCTORS Shoji Tanaka Superconductivity Research Laboratory ISTEC 10-13 Shononome l-Chome, Koto-ku Tokyo 135, Japan ABSTRACT The research of high-Tc superconductors has made big progress in these last few years. New materials were found and the systematic investi- gations of these materials must contribute to understanding the mechanism of high-Tc superconductivity. The critical currents in thin films, bulks and tapes increased drastically, and the origin of flux pinning will be clarified in the near future. These progressions give us a view of a bright future of high-Tc super- conductivity in both the basic and application research areas. Recent activities in research of high-Tc superconductivity and supercon- ductors in Japan will be overviewed. 475 PRECEDING PAGE BLANK NOT FILMED