Overview
- At their White House summit, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced a second tranche of up to $73 billion under Japan’s $550 billion commitment.
- Plans include up to $40 billion for GE Vernova and Hitachi BWRX-300 small modular reactors in Tennessee and Alabama, plus up to $33 billion for natural gas generation in Pennsylvania and Texas.
- Officials say the new power will stabilize prices and help meet surging demand from data centers, though SMR timelines remain unspecified and designs still require U.S. regulatory approvals.
- The governments also signed a critical‑minerals memorandum, expanding cooperation on supply chains and deep‑sea resources, including rare‑earth deposits near Minamitorishima.
- Trade and legal uncertainty persists following a Supreme Court ruling against prior tariff authority and new U.S. investigations, even as the leaders reaffirmed Taiwan Strait stability and navigated Iran‑war pressures on the alliance.