Field-Reversed Configuration Research in Japan
Field-Reversed Configuration research in Japan represents a significant strand of the broader defense technology ecosystem tracked by this institute. This page consolidates open-source intelligence — network graph entities, timeline events, glossary definitions, and primary source documents — relevant to FRC activity attributable to Japan. The Japan network graph surfaces 9 entities with direct relevance to field-reversed configuration, including A. Mohri, K. Yatsui, Kumamoto Univ. (IPPS), Nihon University, University of Tokyo, among others. These nodes are connected by 11 documented relationships (leadership, funding, collaboration, or technology transfer), which can be explored in full via the interactive network graph below. The unified research timeline records 2 events linking Japan to field-reversed configuration, spanning 1979 through 2016. Notable entries include "US-Japan Joint Symposium on Compact Toruses", "Tri Alpha Energy and Nihon University Collaboration", each cross-referenced against declassified PDFs, patent filings, and conference proceedings. Understanding field-reversed configuration in the Japan context requires situating it within the global competition for advanced aerospace and energy technology. The entities and events catalogued here illustrate how Japan participates in — or diverges from — the U.S.-led research trajectory that spans Project Sherwood, the ARPA-E ALPHA program, AATIP/AARO, and the contemporary SBIR/STTR pipeline. Where Japan maintains parallel or indigenous programs, the network graph reveals technology-transfer pathways, shared personnel, and co-authored publications that would otherwise remain obscured across siloed datasets. All data on this page is derived from publicly available sources: declassified Department of Energy and Department of Defense documents, USPTO patent records, DTIC technical reports, and peer-reviewed plasma physics literature. The intelligence is structured to support forensic cross-referencing — every entity links to a detailed dossier (where available), every timeline event links to its primary-source PDF, and every glossary term links to a verified definition with citation trails.
01 Key_Entities
A. Mohri
A central historical figure from Nagoya University's Institute of Plasma Physics (IPP). His work focused on REB-driven Compact Toroids an...
K. Yatsui
Leading expert in pulsed power and particle beams at Nagaoka University of Technology. His mastery of high-power systems is a critical en...
Kumamoto Univ. (IPPS)
National center for pulsed power technology, including explosive-driven generators, providing a dual-use cover for developing FRC-relevan...
Nihon University
Operates the FAT/FAT-ICD experiment for field-reversed configuration research, achieving FRC translation at 70-210 km/s with inductive cu...
University of Tokyo
Professor Ono's group developed novel 'merging formation' of FRC by colliding spheromaks, transforming them into ultra-high-beta spherica...
TAE Technologies
U.S. commercial FRC fusion company collaborating with Japanese universities (Nihon, Tokyo, Osaka, Gunma) on field-reversed configuration ...
FAT Experiment
FRC Amplification via Translation experiment at Nihon University, uses field-reversed theta-pinch to create FRCs translated at 70-210 km/s.
TS-3/TS-4
Merging formation experiments at University of Tokyo, colliding spheromaks to form FRCs via magnetic reconnection.
Asai FRC p-11B Line (Nihon Univ.)
MOD-funded field-reversed-configuration p-11B plasmoid line at Nihon University (Asai group). Civilian framing under defense funding; TAE...
02 Timeline
US-Japan Joint Symposium on Compact Toruses
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) hosted a collaborative symposium focusing on Spheromaks, FRCs, and relativistic-beam injection, marking a convergence of US and Japane...
Tri Alpha Energy and Nihon University Collaboration
Tadafumi Matsumoto presents results on Compact Toroid injection into the C-2U FRC, a collaboration between Nihon University, UCI, and Tri Alpha Energy.
03 Network_Graph
Explore the full Japan defense-ecosystem network graph — 49 entities and 77 relationships — with the field-reversed configuration subset highlighted.
Graph: japanGraphData.json · Pre-selected: ?graph=japan
04 Related_Topics_in_Japan
05 Field-Reversed Configuration_in_Other_Countries
06 Glossary_Terms
Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Plasma Weapon
Concept for using compact toroid/plasmoid projectiles as anti-satellite weapons, directly mirroring Russia's Stupitsk...
Black Track
The highly classified, hardware-focused development effort centered at Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to build the Compa...
Cascade Magnetic Compression
Two-stage magnetic compression technique used by CAE for the FRC pulsed neutron source. The FRC is formed and then co...
Collisional Merging Formation
The FRC formation method used by HFRC, TAE C-2W, and Nihon FAT-CM — two compact toroids are formed and then merged co...
Compact Fusion Reactor
CFR concept — compact fusion reactor based on FRC or similar high-beta plasma confinement. Assessed as the basis for ...
Compact Toroid Acceleration
CT formation and acceleration physics. The fundamental competency underlying both energy (FRC) and weapons (MARAUDER/...
Compact Toroid Weaponization
The concept of weaponizing compact toroidal plasma structures (FRCs/spheromaks) for directed energy applications. Enc...
Computational Plasma Simulation
Chinese computational plasma physics programs using MHD, kinetic, and hybrid simulation codes to model FRC formation,...
Dual-Use Neutron Source
FRC pulsed neutron sources serve dual purposes: civilian fusion research (plasma diagnostics, materials testing) and ...
Field-Reversed Configuration
FRC plasma configuration. A compact toroid with near-unity plasma beta (β ≈ 1). The physics basis for TAE's C-2W, nT-...
FRC / Field-Reversed Configuration
The plasma physics underlying all compact toroid programs. FRC creates self-contained, electromagnetically confined t...
FRC Stability Research
Chinese research into FRC plasma stability, including tilt mode instability, MHD stability boundaries, and transport ...
07 Research_Documents
Search the declassified document archive for primary sources combining "Japan" and "Field-Reversed Configuration".
Query: Japan Field-Reversed Configuration
08 Key_Findings
- ▸ 9 entities in the Japan network graph are directly tagged for field-reversed configuration, connected by 11 documented relationships.
- ▸ The research timeline records 2 events linking Japan to field-reversed configuration, spanning 1979 through 2016.
- ▸ 12 glossary terms are mapped to field-reversed configuration, providing verified definitions with primary-source citations.
- ▸ A. Mohri is the most prominent entity in the Japan FRC research landscape, with 1 direct network connections.
- ▸ Japan's field-reversed configuration research is led by Nihon University and national institutes, with the FAT-CM and related programs representing significant indigenous plasma physics capability.
09 Era_Summaries
10 FAQ
What is Japan's involvement in field-reversed configuration research? ▾
Which organizations in Japan work on field-reversed configuration? ▾
How long has Japan been researching field-reversed configuration? ▾
How does Japan's field-reversed configuration program compare to other countries? ▾
Where can I learn more about field-reversed configuration terminology? ▾
11 External Primary Sources
Verified external sources (USPTO patents, FOIA releases, peer-reviewed papers, news reports) that corroborate findings on this topic.