Japan, U.S. to Link Up on Nuclear Fusion Development; Japan Possesses Key Manufacturing Parts Essential for Process
6:00 JST, April 5, 2024
The Japanese and U.S. governments are nearing an agreement to conclude a “strategic partnership” on technologies for generating power from nuclear fusion, which has been touted as a next-generation energy source, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The agreement could be timed to coincide with the summit meeting between Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and U.S. President Joe Biden in Washington on Wednesday, according to multiple Japanese and U.S. government sources.
International competition to develop technologies that would enable the practical application of nuclear fusion energy, which does not emit carbon dioxide and is said to be safer than nuclear power generation, has intensified in recent years. The agreement will illustrate the commitment of Japan and the United States to push ahead with such efforts by both the private and public sectors.
Nuclear fusion is a reaction that occurs in the core of the sun. The fusion of atomic nuclei generates immense amounts of energy and is sometimes called “the ultimate energy source.” One gram of nuclear fusion fuel is said to produce energy equivalent to that generated from eight tons of oil. Deuterium and tritium, abundant on Earth, can be used as fuel for nuclear fusion.
However, the technological hurdles to harnessing nuclear fusion power remain high and this energy source has not yet been used for power generation. The multinational ITER project’s experimental reactor under construction in France is scheduled to start operation in 2025 or after. Japan, the United States, the European Union, China and Russia are among the participants in this project designed to establish basic nuclear fusion technologies. Nations will use the knowledge gained through ITER in their efforts to commercialize nuclear fusion.
In parallel with the establishment of ITER, the governments of the United States and elsewhere intend to push ahead with the development of nuclear fusion technologies, which has turbo-charged investment in startup companies in this sector. One company has even claimed it will begin generating power through nuclear fusion in 2028. According to the U.S. Fusion Industry Association, about $6.2 billion (about ¥940 billion) has been invested in fusion companies worldwide as of 2023, and this figure jumped significantly since the previous year.
Japan, which relies heavily on fossil fuel imports, has high hopes that nuclear fusion could secure a stable energy source. Japanese companies possess excellent technologies for manufacturing components such as superconducting coils essential for nuclear fusion.
At a time when global competition for nuclear fusion development is heating up, Tokyo and Washington will craft a strategic cooperative relationship after deciding that deepening their industry-academia-government collaboration would have a major positive impact on developing key technologies. Both nations will allow mutual use of their development facilities, promote personnel exchanges and work together to build supply chains, according to the sources.
The United States and Britain agreed to form a similar partnership on fusion energy in November.
"Politics" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
“High Probability” 2 MSDF Patrol Helicopters Collided near Torishima Island; 1 Dead, 7 Others Onboard Missing (Update 2)
-
Japan, U.S., S. Korea Coast Guards Sign Pledge to Strengthen Cooperation
-
China Firm ‘Developed System to Manipulate Public Opinion’; Leaked Information Describes Hijacking Social Media Accounts (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s Opposition Party CDPJ Sweeps 3 By-Elections in Lower House (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s LDP Battles to Avoid ‘Total Defeat’ in By-Elections; Opposition Party Guards against Overconfidence
JN ACCESS RANKING
- Weakening Yen Adds Complexity to BOJ’s Rate Hike Decisions; Rising Commodity Prices may Impact ‘Virtuous Cycle’ Efforts
- Japanese Seafood Exports to China Sink 57% in FY23; U.S. Becomes Largest Seafood Export Destination
- 70% of Japan Companies to Raise Pay Scales in FY 2024
- 48.6% of Global Patent Applications Related to All-Solid-State Batteries Came from Japanese Firms; Panasonic Tops List
- Core Consumer Prices Rise 2.8% in Fiscal 2023