While many of the projects are in areas where other countries also have projects, some involve active cooperation between Japan and other countries through exchanges of information and researchers. The current goal, based on the two major premises of assuring safety and strengthening disaster- prevention systems for nuclear emergencies, is to achieve a complete nuclear fuel cycle within the country. For this purpose the private sector is now engaged in the construction of a large-scale reprocessing plant and uranium enrichment facility. Japan started research on fast breeder reactors in 1968. The prototype reactor Monju, upon which construction began in 1985, started generating electricity in August 1995.
Research is also in progress in Japan on nuclear fusion.
In 1985 the JT-60, a tokamak testing device on a par with the United States' Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor and the European Union's Joint European Torus, was built. In March 1993 the JT-60 reached a plasma state that set a world record in terms of plasma temperature, particle density, and containment time. Other areas in which the development of new energy sources is being pursued include coal liquefaction and gasification, thermal power generation, and solar batteries. Research also continues on energy- saving technology. Japan had launched 58 satellites for various uses, including weather observation, communications, broadcasting, and earth observation.