At a ceremony in Naka, Japan, on December 1, 2023, JT-60SA was inaugurated by European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, Japan’s Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Masahito Moriyama, and Japan’s Minister of State for Science and Technology Policy, Sanae Takaichi. The tokamak is the most powerful fusion experimental device facility in the world to date. Work for the facility began in 2007, and the first plasma operations could now be carried out at the end of 2023.
JT-60SA is part of the Broader Approach Agreement, a scientific collaboration signed between the European Union and Japan to promote the advancement of know-how in fusion. The European contribution to the project is managed by Fusion for Energy (F4E). However, EUROfusion, the consortium of 31 European laboratories, is also making a contribution in the form of hardware and personnel. In Japan, the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) in Naka, where the facility is located, is responsible for the project.
In his speech, F4E Director Marc Lachaise praised the international collaboration: "What happens here today will matter tomorrow for the contribution of fusion in a carbon free energy mix. JT-60SA is key to the international fusion roadmap because it provides a one-of-a- kind possibility to learn, operate this unique fusion device and to share that valuable knowledge with ITER. Also, it allows European research laboratories and industry, jointly with Japan, to work hand in hand developing a meaningful partnership."
The ceremony was recorded live and can be watched here.
More information and the press release from F4E including additional material can be found here.