The world's largest tokamak is now ready to operate in Japan. The JT-60SA located in Japan's Ibaraki region is the result of cooperation between Japan, the European Union and the UK. Weighing 360 tons, it is the largest tokamak ever built.
It is an ongoing project by Japan in developing tokamak technology since the 1970s to realize a nuclear fusion reactor that can produce a clean energy source. The construction of the latest iteration of the JT-60SA was actually completed in 2020. But a short-circuit incident the following year caused it to only be reactivated last October and officially returned to service on December 1.
When fully operational, the JT-60SA will conduct various experiments to enable the tokamak operation to last longer so that the plasma inside, which is hotter than the surface of the sun, can be maintained. This is necessary for nuclear fusion to occur.
Almost a year ago scientists from the United States Department of Energy (Department of Energy - DoE) announced the success of producing nuclear fusion in the laboratory. It only lasts for a few minutes. In addition to Japan and the US, South Korea and China are also carrying out their own tokamak projects in order to become the first country to generate the most sustainable energy source ever produced in the history of human civilization.