IBM Japan Ltd. has become the first...

IBM Japan Ltd. has become the first foreign-owned firm to join a superconductivity research group established by the Japanese government.

Another 20 to 30 foreign firms have expressed interest in participating in the International Superconductivity Technology Center, the center said.

The center conducts basic research into superconductivity--the transmission of electricity with no resistance--where recent discoveries of new materials have spurred research in laboratories around the world.