# Japan May Pull Out of Bid to House Fusion Reactor **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 8, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-may-pull-out-of-bid-to-house-fusion-reactor/302935 "2005-05-08T18:20:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-may-pull-out-of-bid-to-house-fusion-reactor/302935/1 "2005-05-08T18:20:54Z")
[Looks like it’s going to France.](http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/japan_nuclear_iter_dc) > [@](#): > > The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project will seek to build the first fusion reactor but competing bids from Japan and France have led to months of wrangling over who will host the high-profile and lucrative project. > > Efforts to resolve the impasse gained momentum after European Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik made a fresh proposal in Tokyo in April, the paper said. > > That plan was similar to a Japanese proposal in September under which non-host countries would win orders for 20 percent of construction work while bearing just 10 percent of the cost, it said. > > Officials for Japan’s Science and Technology Ministry were not immediately available to comment on the report on Wednesday, a national holiday in Japan. So why aren’t we going to have one here in the States? We’re backing Japan’s bid, but have none of our own. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-may-pull-out-of-bid-to-house-fusion-reactor/302935/2 "2005-05-08T22:01:27Z")
We want to make sure that the thing isn’t going to explode first. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-may-pull-out-of-bid-to-house-fusion-reactor/302935/3 "2005-05-08T22:08:06Z")
> [@Diceman](#): > > We want to make sure that the thing isn’t going to explode first. Where the _hell’s the fun in that?_ I mean, we could get our own giant lizard running amok in America! The Japanese have got _dozens_! Why do they need any more? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-may-pull-out-of-bid-to-house-fusion-reactor/302935/4 "2005-05-08T22:25:43Z")
There was a strong possibility the ITER fusion plant would have been built east of Toronto, next to the Darlington nuclear fission power plant… until Canada pulled out. They said it was due to money, but I suspect that the people downriver from Toronto just weren’t ready to have a contender to their gigantic [Méga Bonhomme](http://www.northguard.com/angloman/megabon.html)… ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-may-pull-out-of-bid-to-house-fusion-reactor/302935/5 "2005-05-08T23:38:59Z")
There’s not much money in it. It’ll be easy, once done once, to do it again anywhere. So there’s no reason to keep on at it. But mostly, I expect that the us gov is simply pissed over spending 50 years on it and getting bupkuss. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/japan-may-pull-out-of-bid-to-house-fusion-reactor/302935/6 "2005-05-09T01:25:10Z")
I say we construct a giant artificial island out in the South Pacific. Make the island self-sufficient. Then we build the reactor there. Put in charge a scientist with a history of unorthodox experimentation, mental instability, and bad hair. Let sit unattended for 6.3 years. Send an exploration part consisting of 1 “man-of the-world” ex-soldier type, 1 computer geek, 1 reporter, 1 buxom redhead, and a german shepherd. BOOM! Instant Blockbuster/Action/Drama hit of the Summer! Or we build it in Europe, where they probably will make it work without fucking anything up. But Whats the Fun In That?