President Donald Trump on Tuesday (February 17, 2026) announced Japan’s planned investments in U.S. energy and critical minerals projects, the first tranche under a bilateral trade pact, ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s Washington visit.
The commitments amount to $36 billion, the U.S. Commerce Department said in a separate statement.
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The projects they cover are a natural gas facility in Ohio, a crude oil export facility in the Gulf of Mexico, and a synthetic industrial diamond manufacturing facility, the department added on social media.
“Japan is now officially, and financially, moving forward with the FIRST set of Investments under its $550 BILLION Dollar Commitment to invest in the United States of America,” Mr. Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
