Japan on April 14 issued a statement of its adoption of policy of becoming a major international contributor to a fusion energy demonstration reactor or reactors, adding an important national-effort capability to the breakthroughs in fusion research and development being reported from the United States, China and Europe. The statement, “Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy,” proposes that Japan will use all its advanced technological and industrial capabilities to bring such demonstration reactors into operation at the earliest point, and to win a market share of production of fusion reactor elements and reactors. (https://www8.cao.go.jp/cstp/fusion/230426_strategy.pdf )
The nation already operates a very important fusion research reactor, the stellarator at Toki, known as the Large Helical Device, the second-largest superconducting stellarator in the world. It is used in partnership with fusion research and development projects in other countries to simulate and test their new systems, for which Japan also produces critical elements and parts. Most recently the stellarator was partnered with Helion Energy of California to simulate the start of Helion’s use of hydrogen-boron fuel in its eighth-generation experimental device. The Large Helical Device is exemplary of Japan’s development of advanced critical technology for development of fusion demonstration reactors.
