Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry selected startup Helical Fusion for a 60 billion yen program supporting private fusion energy projects.
The three-year government program provides approximately $400 million across multiple fusion concepts, including tokamaks, stellarators and laser fusion. METI aims to advance these technologies to demonstrate commercial electricity generation during the 2030s.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, known as METI, oversees Japan's industrial and energy policies. Nuclear fusion generates power by forcing light atomic nuclei together under intense heat and pressure, replicating the nuclear reactions that energize the sun. Unlike traditional fission reactors that split heavy atoms, fusion creates no long-lived radioactive waste and carries no risk of meltdown. While tokamaks use internal electrical currents to shape the plasma, stellarators rely entirely on complex external magnetic coils to maintain a stable plasma ring, enabling continuous long-term operations.
Helical Fusion was established in 2021 as a spin-off from research conducted at the National Institute for Fusion Science. The company focuses on a helical stellarator configuration designed for continuous plasma confinement. Research at the institute features the Large Helical Device, an experimental machine that previously sustained plasma for 3,268 seconds and reached temperatures above 180 million degrees Fahrenheit, or roughly 100 million degrees Celsius. Developers now intend to translate those scientific achievements into practical engineering.
Roadmap for the Helix program
The company's Helix Program roadmap begins with the development of high-temperature superconducting magnets and a fully integrated operational system. Engineers will then construct the Helix HARUKA demonstration facility before building Helix KANATA, planned as the company's first power-generating fusion plant. More than 30 Japanese companies have already joined the initiative.
Funding from the ministry depends on achieving specific technical and commercialization milestones. These requirements cover operational safety standards, maintenance protocols and active engagement with local communities in regions considered for future reactor sites.
