Helical Fusion Co., Ltd., a fusion energy company developing a Helical Stellarator toward commercially viable fusion power, has been named a final candidate for Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) program supporting the demonstration of fusion power generation.
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Image of Helix HARUKA, Helical Fusion’s Integrated Demo Device(left), and Helix KANATA, Helical Fusion’s Fusion Pilot Plant(right)
The program is designed to accelerate fusion power demonstration in the 2030s under Japan’s national energy and fusion strategies. It supports private-sector technology development across multiple fusion approaches, including tokamak, stellarator and laser fusion, with approximately JPY 60 billion in total government support anticipated over the three years through 2028.
The amount to be awarded to Helical Fusion will be announced following the formal grant decision.
For Helical Fusion, the selection represents an important step in advancing the Helix Program, its development roadmap toward fusion power generation in the 2030s.
Japan Accelerates Fusion from Research toward Industrial Deployment
Japan has strengthened its commitment to fusion energy as both a next-generation energy source and a strategic industry.
Under Japan’s national fusion strategy, the government aims to achieve fusion power demonstration in the 2030s while encouraging the development of multiple technological approaches. The METI program supports private-sector developers pursuing this goal through a milestone-based framework, under which progress is evaluated against defined technical and commercialization objectives.
The program calls for projects not only to demonstrate the technical feasibility of fusion power generation, but also to establish fundamental knowledge required for future commercial power plants. Safety, appropriate safety measures and engagement with host communities are also incorporated into the framework.
Against this backdrop, Helical Fusion is advancing a development strategy centered on the requirements that ultimately determine whether fusion can function as a power plant: steady-state operation, net electricity generation and maintainability.
Why Helical Fusion Is Pursuing the Stellarator
Helical Fusion is developing a Helical Stellarator, building on approximately 70 years of Helical Stellarator research and engineering in Japan.
Unlike pulsed approaches, the Helical Stellarator is designed for inherently steady-state operation. Helical Fusion believes this architecture offers a credible path toward simultaneously achieving the three requirements essential for commercially viable fusion power:
* Steady-state operation — stable operation capable of supporting continuous electricity generation
* Net electricity — generating sufficient electricity to deliver net power outside the plant
* Maintainability — enabling maintenance necessary to achieve high plant availability
The company was founded in 2021 as a spin-out leveraging research originating from Japan’s National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), one of the world’s leading research institutions in stellarator fusion.
NIFS has accumulated extensive experimental knowledge through the Large Helical Device (LHD), including plasma operation lasting 3,268 seconds, plasma temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius, and advanced plasma control technologies.
Helical Fusion is translating this scientific foundation into engineering and hardware through the Helix Program.
The Helix Program: From Integrated Demonstration to Fusion Power
The Helix Program is Helical Fusion’s roadmap toward commercially viable fusion power in the 2030s.
The company is first developing and demonstrating two critical technology systems: high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets and an integrated blanket/divertor system.
These technologies will be brought together in Helix HARUKA, the Integrated Demonstration Device, followed by Helix KANATA, the company’s first power-generating fusion plant.
Manufacturing and construction for the HTS magnet demonstration using Helix HARUKA are already underway in Helical Fusion’s dedicated workspace on the NIFS campus in Toki, Gifu Prefecture.
More than 30 companies across Japan are already contributing to the development of key components for Helix HARUKA. They include manufacturers with world-class precision machining and engineering capabilities, companies with deep expertise in integrating and refining complex technologies, and some of Japan’s leading heavy electrical equipment manufacturers with decades of experience in large-scale energy infrastructure.
By bringing together these industrial capabilities with Japan’s accumulated expertise in stellarator research, Helical Fusion is building an engineering and manufacturing foundation for commercially viable fusion power.
Comment from Takaya Taguchi, Co-Founder & CEO of Helical Fusion
“As global competition to bring fusion energy into real-world use accelerates, we believe Japan has reached a critical moment: one where we must make the fullest use of the outstanding knowledge and technological capabilities built by generations before us, while at the same time evaluating the best path forward from first principles.
When we focus on what it truly takes to make fusion energy a reality, we are convinced that developing the Helical Stellarator has an essential role to play.
We strongly support the purpose of this program and its commitment to advancing the deployment of fusion energy ahead of the world. As one team, we will dedicate ourselves fully to delivering on that ambition.”
About Helical Fusion
Helical Fusion Co., Ltd. is developing a Helical Stellarator to realize commercially viable fusion power. Founded in 2021 as a spin-out leveraging research originating from the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), the company is building on decades of Japanese stellarator research while integrating technologies from industry, academia and public research institutions.
Through the Helix Program, Helical Fusion is developing the technologies required for steady-state operation, net electricity generation and maintainability, with the goal of advancing fusion power generation in the 2030s.
The company is currently manufacturing and constructing key systems for Helix HARUKA, its Integrated Demonstration Device, in collaboration with more than 30 industrial partners across Japan.
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