The signature represents a key milestone for both the Japanese Domestic Agency and the ITER Organization, and an important milestone for the project schedule. The long-distance coordination of the Procurement Arrangement signature went smoothly—the document was first signed by ITER Director-General Motojima, before being transported halfway around the world by courier to be signed by T. Oikawa, the Director of International Affairs, Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA).
There were several late nights and early mornings for the teams in both France and Japan. "It's true that the candle had to be burned at both ends in order to achieve the tight schedule," commented Diagnostic Division Head Mike Walsh, "but it was worth all the effort in the end."
Kiyoshi Itami, the Plasma Diagnostics Group Leader in Naka, added, "I am very pleased to get this critical phase in the project completed and I thank everyone involved for the good collaborative approach to get to this stage."
Now the Japanese Domestic Agency is busy with the next stages in cooperation with the ITER Organization and in further involvement with industry.