Article by Jeremiah Josey, founder of The Thorium Network
A big sigh of relief as Japan finally kicks out the western phobia of clean, safe #fission energy. It’s taken 14 years but they’ve made it.
No one died from the minor incident that occurred at #TEPCO‘s #Fukushima #Daiichi #Nuclear Power Plant when the wave of water hit them on 11 March 2011. Yet the world shivered under their collective blankets when the lights went out on that bed time evening those many moons ago.
Japan has now found their torch – powered by #uranium and #plutonium – and again today they bravely find their way to the toilet in the middle of the night. The west seems intent on using bedpans…
There’s a silver lining to this story even brighter than the fission future Japan is turning back on. And that silver is Thorium. Just a few miles away, #China has been steadfast producing reliable secure Thorium energy for almost as long. And Japan is noticing.
Without the fanfare of hype from both sides.
🇯🇵 Japan’s Thorium Awakening: Inside Their Molten‑Salt Ambitions
Japan’s next-gen nuclear vision isn’t just about restarting reactors — it’s about rethinking what fission energy can be. While others fretted, Japan quietly doubled down on research that could transform nuclear safety, waste, and abundance.
At the heart of this is a Liquid Fission Thorium burner (LFTB) ambition.
1. Some MSR & Thorium Roots in Japan
• Japan’s research into MSRs actually has historical depth: IAEA‑sponsored work has looked at Th–233U cycles for molten salt reactors, including their use for transuranic waste reduction.
• At Kyoto University and other Japanese institutions, there have been proposals to build molten salt reactors using Thorium, such as the FUJI Molten Salt Reactor.
• According to Mitsui Strategic Studies, Japan is re-evaluating liquid fission as a technology for sustainable domestic resources.
Bottom line: Japan’s Thorium‑LFTB work is real.
2. Partnerships & Research Focus
Japanese research institutions (universities, national labs) are exploring critical MSR‑related technologies, like:
• Neutronic modeling of Th‑232 → U-233 cycles
• Materials that resist corrosion in hot molten salts
• Reactor vessel designs optimised for safety in earthquake-prone regions
• Online salt circulation and reprocessing concepts.
These partnerships help lay the foundation for a future Thorium-based industry.
3. Conceptual Thorium Burner for Waste Recycling
One of the most attractive ideas in Japanese MSR research is using Thorium‑salt reactors to burn transuranic waste (plutonium and other actinides) produced by conventional light-water reactors. This would:
• Reduce long-lived nuclear waste
• Generate clean energy
• Operate at low pressure, improving safety (no risk of steam‑pressure explosions)
• Use passive safety features.
🇨🇳 China’s Thorium LFTB: The Quiet Competitor
While Japan is preparing, China is already moving.
• Their TMSR‑LF1 liquid fission machine (2 MW thermal) received an operating licence in June 2023.
• This reactor achieved first criticality on October 11, 2023.
• In November 2025, SINAP (Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics) announced the first successful conversion of Thorium to uranium fuel inside this machine, with a conversion ratio of 10%.
• The TMSR‑LF1 design uses a fuel mix including under‑20% enriched uranium-235 and about 50 kg.
Message us if you want to see more detail about the efforts of these countries into Liquid Fission Thorium Burner technology – without doubt the best thing ever for humanity and our precious planet earth.
You can see the original article that promoted our work here on our Telegram channel:
https://t.me/c/1884139551/13305
And here on our Linkedin Page:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/japan-finally-shakes-off-its-nuclear-fear-thorium-waiting-wm9ye
And the Tokyo AFP news post here:
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