The Broader Approach (BA) activities have been launched in 2007 under the framework of collaboration between Japan and EURATOM. The BA activities aim at complementing the ITER project and at an early realization offusion energy by carrying out R&D and developing some advanced technologies for the future demonstration power reactor (DEMO). Three research projects are to be undertaken in Japan. They are 1) Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities for the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility (IFMIF/EVEDA), 2) International Fusion Energy Research Center (IFERC), and 3) Satellite Tokamak Program, where the JT-60 tokamak will be upgraded to an advanced superconducting tokamak.

The IFERC project is to be carried out at a new research site prepared in Rokkasho, Aomori, Japan. The construction of the buildings started in March 2008 and will be completed in FY 2009 (March 2010), followed by the installation of the experimental equipments for the DEMO R&D.