Japan revises national fusion strategy

The country aims to generate power through fusion energy in five years.

Japan’s Cabinet Office has revised its Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy, setting its clear goal of “demonstrating electricity generation with fusion energy in the 2030s ahead of the rest of the world.”

According to the Japan Atomic Industrial Forum (JAIF), Japan stated in the updated version of the plan its specific guidelines to achieve this goal. Its core vision is the industrialisation of fusion energy in the next decade, as it eyes leveraging its technological strengths to gain a competitive edge in the market.

This is the first time the strategy has been revised since it was formulated in 2023.

“Given the intensification of extreme weather events and rising geopolitical risks, fusion energy— which emits no CO₂ and uses deuterium, an abundant fuel found in seawater— is seen as a promising solution to overcome issues related to resource concentration,” JAIF said.

“Because of these characteristics, fusion is attracting attention as a ‘dream energy’ with the potential to solve a variety of modern energy challenges,” it added.

The revision also aims to encourage private investment.

Japan has tapped UK as its partner under the strategy. They have signed a memorandum of cooperation on the development of fusion technologies, which will include mutual use of research facilities, human resource development, and collaboration on establishing safety regulations.