The Liberal Democratic Party's fusion energy project team met on November 6 to discuss a bill to encourage private investment in fusion power generation, with the party aiming to submit it to the current Diet session and see it pass.
Under the bill, the strict regulations required of existing nuclear plants would not apply to fusion, and the government would be required to draw up a basic plan for research and development, according to people involved. The aim is to make the regulatory and policy direction clear, improving predictability for business and encouraging companies to enter the field and invest.
Fusion power generation reproduces the fusion reaction that occurs inside the sun and uses the resulting energy to generate electricity. Unlike conventional nuclear plants, it does not produce a fission chain reaction and is said not to generate high-level radioactive waste.
It is classed as a decarbonized power source that emits no carbon dioxide when generating electricity, and countries are competing to develop it.