The Team
The Team Behind a World-First
At Helical Fusion, we are building on the legacy of the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS)—a world-leading institution in stellarator reactor design—to realize the first commercially viable fusion power plant.
Fusion research spans a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines. But at the heart of commercialization lies one critical capability: reactor design—the skill of integrating all component technologies into a coherent, operable fusion system. Experts in this domain are exceedingly rare—even on the global stage.
Our team is led by world-class specialists with unparalleled depth in fusion reactor design. CTO Dr. Miyazawa and Vice CTO Dr. Goto have been at the forefront of the field, working closely with our Science Advisor, Prof. Sagara—a longtime driving force in international stellarator research.
In addition, Helical Fusion brings together core members uniquely qualified to make the world’s first commercial fusion reactor a reality—including safety design experts from national laboratories and professionals with deep experience in finance and energy business development.
Helical Fusion is uniquely positioned at the upstream end of the fusion energy value chain—with core strengths in reactor design. Backed by both technical excellence and strategic insight, we are a team built to lead—and win—on the global stage.
Takaya TAGUCHI
Co-founder, CEO
He began his career in Japan’s financial industry, holding key roles at Mizuho Bank, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), PwC Advisory, and Dai-ichi Life, where he gained extensive expertise in finance and business strategy. At JBIC, he worked on export finance for power generation plant projects, covering North Africa and Russia. He joined a finance startup as COO, where he further honed his leadership skills, before co-founding Helical Fusion in 2021.
He currently serves as Vice Chair of the Fusion Energy Industry Council (J-Fusion).
Education: The Graduate School of Letters (Ethics), Kyoto University
Junichi MIYAZAWA
Co-Founder, CTO
Dr. Junichi MIYAZAWA is a physicist and with his fruitful experiences in plasma experiments, he has been proposing a series of innovative ideas for the fluid divertor, cartridge blanket, high-temperature superconducting magnet, and functional liquid metal, etc.
Former Professor
National Institute for Fusion Science
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
Education: The Graduate School of Engineering (Nuclear Engineering), The University of Tokyo
Takuya GOTO
Co-Founder, Vice CTO
Dr. Takuya GOTO is a world-leading specialist in fusion reactor systems design.
He has developed a super-powerful systems code for the helical fusion reactor.
He has been also cooperating in the conceptual design studies on the tokamak and laser fusion reactors.
Former Assistant Professor
National Institute for Fusion Science
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
Education: The Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (Nuclear Engineering), The University of Tokyo
Yosuke KUBO
Executive Officer, COO, Head of Business Development
Yosuke KUBO worked for Mitsui & Co., Ltd in charge of energy business. His area of primary expertise has been in business development and commercial structuring, while also having roles in upstream production, refining business, commodity trading, M&A, and strategic planning.
He currently serves as Chair of the Safety Standards Working Group at the Fusion Energy Industry Council (J-Fusion).
Education: Kyoto University(Law and Political Science)
Harunori OIWA
Executive Officer
Corporate Strategy
Harunori OIWA is venture capitalist with extensive knowledge in the deeptech area, backed by experience in developing new medicines and the life science consulting firm in the Silicon Valley area. He worked at Plug and Play Ventures as a DeepTech investor.
Education: University of Washington Global Business Program,
Osaka University Graduate School(Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Hiroaki SASAKI
Director
Corporate Strategy
Hiroaki SASAKI started his career at a major Japanese bank. He has been involved in M&A and IPO for several startups as CFO. With management experience at startups and a Japanese subsidiary of a U.S. company, he engaged in the fund business in curve-out and public-private funds.
Education: Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology
(Master of Technology in Business Systems Design Engineering)
Akio SAGARA
Executive Science Advisor
Prof. Akio SAGARA has been leading the helical fusion reactor design studies since 1994.
He started his research career by working on the blanket-neutronics and plasma-wall interaction. He received Outstanding Achievement Award of the Fusion Energy Division of American Nuclear Society, as the first non-American. He is also Fellow of Atomic Energy Society of Japan.
Emeritus Editor of leading fusion journals (FED/Elsevier)
Professor Emeritus
National Institute for Fusion Science
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
Education: The Graduate School of Engineering (Nuclear Engineering), Nagoya University
Yukihiro MARU
Outside Director
Yukihiro Maru co-founded Leave a Nest in 2002 while a graduate student and has since contributed to the launch and growth of numerous venture companies, including Euglena Co., Ltd.
He oversees a group of 30 companies, including overseas subsidiaries across Southeast Asia.
Education:
The Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo
Ph.D. in Agriculture.
Shohei YAMADA
Outside Director
CEO SBI Holdings USA
He leads North America–focused funds and oversees strategic capital alliances with VC and PE firms. Previously, he served as a Partner at SBI Investment, investing in both Japanese and global startups, and worked at the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) across corporate and sovereign finance, M&A finance, and fund investments. He also serves as a director of Novastar and Gateway Partners, and as an investment committee member of X&KSK.
Education:
Bachelor of Economics, Nagoya University
Hiroshi SUGIYAMA
Outside Auditor
Attorney-at-Law, admitted in the State of New York
He began his career at the Bank of Japan before joining Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, a New York law firm, where he focused on cross-border M&A and capital markets transactions. He later served as Head of Legal for the Operations Department at Amazon Japan. Today, he contributes to a diverse portfolio of companies ranging from publicly listed corporations to high-growth startups, providing strategic legal and business counsel.
Education:
Faculty of Law, The University of Tokyo (LL.B.)
Columbia Law School (LL.M.)
