Members

High-level meetings in Tokyo

7 Sep 2026

During a series of high-level meetings in Tokyo in July, ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi highlighted recent progress on the project and reaffirmed the importance of Japan’s continued political, scientific and industrial support for the international fusion effort.

The Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan Minoru Kihara welcomes ITER Director-General and colleagues Deputy Head of ITER Construction Project Takayoshi Omae (left) and Deputy Director-General Yutaka Kamada (right) during a mission to Japan in late July 2026.

Minoru Kihara, Chief Cabinet Secretary of Japan, welcomed ITER Director-General Pietro Barabaschi, Deputy Director-General Yutaka Kamada, and Deputy Head of ITER Construction Project Takayoshi Omae, reaffirming Japan’s continued high-level engagement with the ITER project and the international effort to advance fusion energy. The meeting with Chief Cabinet Secretary Kihara was the highest-ranking political meeting of the mission, representing the Prime Minister’s Office.

Director-General Barabaschi expressed his appreciation for Japan’s long-standing role in ITER and for the country’s continuing contributions to the project. “Japanese contributions are highly appreciated,” he stressed, underlining the importance of Japan’s scientific, industrial and governmental support to ITER’s mission.

MEXT Minister Yohei Matsumoto (second from right) receives the ITER delegation.

As part of the same mission, Director-General Barabaschi also held a meeting with Yohei Matsumoto, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), and his team. MEXT is the ministry responsible for ITER in Japan and a principal source of funding for Japan's contribution to the project. Director-General Barabaschi reported the latest construction progress at ITER and exchanged views on the importance of developing next-generation fusion talent.

The Director-General also paid a courtesy visit to Minoru Kiuchi, who is in charge of Japan's Growth Strategy, Startups, Economic and Fiscal Policy, and Regulatory Reform in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet. Minister Kiuchi visited ITER in April 2025 and participated in ITER’s Fusion Energy Day event at Expo 2025.

Across these meetings, the Director-General emphasized the importance of maintaining strong cooperation between ITER and Japan as the project advances. The mission to Japan highlighted the continued value of political, scientific and industrial cooperation in advancing fusion energy. Through its sustained participation in ITER, Japan remains a major partner in the global effort to demonstrate fusion energy at a scale relevant for future energy systems.