Who leads the JT-60SA project?

The JT-60SA Project Leader (PL) is responsible for the coordination of the implementation of the JT-60SA Project. The PL is appointed by the Broader Approach Steering Committee and is assisted by the Project Team, which comprises experts and other members, such as visiting scientists.

Masaya HANADA (QST), Project Leader and JA Home Team Leader

Masaya Hanada graduated from the University of Tsukuba. where he studied the hydrodynamics of superfluid liquid helium. He started at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute in 1987, working on the development of neutral beam (NB) injectors with large negative ion sources in ITER and JT-60. From 1994 to 1996, he was involved in the NB group of the Joint Central Team of ITER.

From 2008 to 2015, as group leader of the NB Heating System in the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, he took the lead of the operation of NB systems in JT-60 and the manufacturing of the Japanese components to be procured for the Neutral Beam Test Facility at Padova, Italy.

From 2016 to 2019, he was involved in the JT-60SA project. As Director in the Department of Tokamak System Technology, he managed the assembly of JT-60SA, and manufacturing of Japanese components. He served as the vice-chair of the IEA Fusion Power Coordinating Committee from 2018 to 2020.

In 2020, he became Deputy Director-General of the Naka Fusion Institute of the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology. Since July 2020, he has been Project Leader of the JT-60SA project and JA Home Team Project Manager.


Enrico DI PIETRO (F4E), EU Home Team Leader

Enrico Di Pietro is a mechanical engineer who has devoted most of his professional life to the design, manufacturing and technological development of experimental devices for controlled nuclear fusion.

He started in 1985 in the ENEA Research Centre of Frascati where as a newly recruited junior engineer he had the privilege to participate in the construction of the second Italian high field tokamak, the Frascati Tokamak Upgrade (also known as FTU). It was already apparent then that the development of magnetic confinement controlled fusion had chances only if pursued as a large international effort due to the size and cost of the devices and their technological development.

He then got involved in the development of technologies necessary for the next step of fusion devices and he soon became the head of the technology division of the ENEA Fusion Department.

From 1996 to 2001, he worked for ITER and the European Fusion Development Agreement (EFDA) contributing mostly in the area of the mechanical design of the neutral beam injection system. When the ITER project was finally released for construction in 2007, he took the responsibility of the ITER site preparation.

In 2008, he moved to the JT-60SA project where later he took the role of Deputy EU Project Manager and F4E JT-60SA Unit head. Since 2017 he has been the EU Home Team Project Manager.


Former Project leaders


Yutaka KAMADA, Former Project Leader from 2018 to 2020


Hiroshi SHIRAI, Former Project Leader from 2014 to 2018


Shinichi ISHIDA, Former Project Leader from 2007 to 2014