Overview
- Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and President Donald Trump announced up to $73 billion in new projects during the White House visit, drawn from Japan’s $550 billion commitment.
- Up to $40 billion will fund GE Vernova and Hitachi small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, positioned as next‑generation stable power sources.
- Up to $33 billion will back natural‑gas generation in Pennsylvania and Texas, with offtake expected to supply co‑located data centers.
- The governments also advanced supply‑chain cooperation with a critical‑minerals initiative and signed a memorandum to pursue deep‑sea mineral development.
- Timelines for the SMRs remain unclear as most designs still require regulatory approval and none operate on U.S. grids, while political and trade scrutiny continues following the Supreme Court’s rejection of earlier sweeping tariffs.