General Incorporated Association Fusion Energy Industry Council Founding General Meeting Held
The General Incorporated Association Fusion Energy Industry Council (commonly known as J-Fusion) (Chairman: Tetsuyuki Konishi, President and Representative Director, Kyoto Fusion Engineering Co., Ltd.) held its Founding General Meeting on May 21. Chairman Tetsuyuki Konishi and the Standing Directors presented an overview of the Council and its future initiatives.
[Summary of Announcements]
J-Fusion was established on March 29 of this year. Based on the government’s “Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy,” its purpose is to bring innovation to Japan’s and the world’s energy systems by creating the fusion energy industry, which is globally anticipated to become a massive industrial sector in the future. This aims to contribute to human development through stable, clean energy in the future.
Currently, in addition to the 21 founding member companies—including manufacturers, trading companies, and general contractors—29 new companies and organizations have joined, and applications for participation from further companies are being received.
The Council plans to collaborate with these supporting companies, organizations, and research institutions, as well as with government officials who guided its launch and overseas institutions, to implement various initiatives promoting the industrialization of fusion energy. First, we plan to establish multiple working groups within the council to concretely advance its projects. These will include surveying domestic and international fusion industry trends, standardization activities for fusion energy-related technologies, policy proposals to the government including safety regulations, events matching industry needs with university research seeds and fusion energy-related corporate needs and seeds, and human resource development in collaboration with relevant domestic and international institutions.
Tetsuyuki Konishi, Chairman of J-Fusion, stated, “Globally, momentum for the practical application of fusion energy has significantly increased over the past four to five years. This surge stems from the increasingly severe global environmental and climate issues, driving nations into a phase where they are actively fostering fusion energy as a new industry with an eye toward its commercialization. Against this backdrop, the Cabinet Office announced its Fusion Energy Innovation Strategy in April last year. As part of this initiative, private companies aiming to cultivate fusion energy as a new industry came together to establish this council. Until now, due to its technical challenges, fusion energy research has primarily been advanced through national programs and fundamental studies conducted by public institutions worldwide. However, to move beyond this research phase and reach the stage of actually delivering energy to consumers, it is necessary to establish an industrial framework.
J-Fusion’s distinctive features are, first, its goal of fostering industrial development, and second, the participation not only of companies already involved in fusion energy but also of numerous companies seeking to enter the field. While the specifics of our activities will be determined going forward, we aim to contribute to the development of Japan’s fusion energy industry by welcoming participation from various companies and research institutions.”
Subsequently, a commemorative meeting was held to mark the establishment of this council, bringing together companies, universities and research institutions, and government-related organizations that endorsed and participated in its founding objectives. The meeting was attended by many stakeholders, including Sanae Takaichi, Minister of State for Special Missions at the Cabinet Office, and Masahito Moriyama, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and concluded successfully.
J-Fusion will now collaborate with companies, universities and research institutions, and government-related organizations. We will pool the wisdom, talent, knowledge, and experience of industry, government, and academia to contribute to humanity’s development through stable, clean energy for the future. We are committed to creating a fusion energy industry that will bring innovation to Japan’s and the world’s energy systems.