Contents of ITER deal revealed [Japan plans to retreat from ITER bid, France may win]

Daily Yomiuri ^ | 2005 May 27

[Wiz]

Details of an agreement on the roles of host and non-hosting countries involved in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor that is likely to be hosted in France were revealed Thursday.

Under the deal struck between Japan and the European Union, the unsuccessful bidder will be given the post of secretary general at ITER headquarters. ITER-related facilities also will be built in that country.

The final decision on the location of ITER is expected to be made during ministerial-level talks among the six nations involved, scheduled to be held late next month in Russia.

Japan is expected to enter the final talks with an eye to giving up its bid to host the ITER in Rokkashomura, Aomori Prefecture, leaving the way clear for the reactor to be built at a rival site in Cadarache, France.

The view that the reactor will be hosted in France increasingly has been shared in Japan, even among members of ruling parties who made efforts to win the ITER bid.

The planned ITER is an experimental facility for a thermonuclear reactor designed to produce power by fusing the nucleus of heavy hydrogen and tritium at more than 100 million degrees. Besides Japan and the EU, four other countries--China, Russia, South Korea and the United States--have participated in the 1.3 trillion yen project.

Japan and the EU reportedly agreed on the deal at a vice-ministerial meeting on May 5.

[Wiz]

PING!

[sitetest]

That looks painful.

[Righty_McRight]

France "Let us have the reactor or we'll block you from the UN security council"

Japan "Ok"

France "Sucker"

[CasearianDaoist]

This is terrible news. The US should pull out of this and go its own way. This will take all of the US Fusion funds for a generation, Help the EU's attempt to build a rival R & D infrastructure and give them the lead in this area. And it may not even work. >p? One more nail in the coffin of American scientific competitiveness.

Bush was stupid to rejoin ITER, and enev dumber to keep pursuing it after the events of the last few years. Now the EU boasts both CERN and ITER. Who is the scientific leader now?