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.
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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.
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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 accomplished 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. He also served as COO of a startup, further honing his leadership and operational skills.
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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.
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Former Professor
National Institute for Fusion Science
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
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Education: The Graduate School of Engineering (Nuclear Engineering), The University of Tokyo
Takuya GOTO
Co-Founder,
Board of Directors, 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.
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Former Assistant Professor
National Institute for Fusion Science
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
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Education: The Graduate School of Frontier Sciences (Nuclear Engineering), The University of Tokyo
Akio SAGARA
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
Yosuke KUBO
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.
​Education: Kyoto University(Law and Political Science)
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Harunori OIWA
Head of 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.
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Education: University of Washington Global Business Program,
Osaka University Graduate School(Master of Pharmaceutical Sciences)
Hiroaki SASAKI
Director, Corporate Department
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)
