The United States has announced y a first tranche of investments by Japan out of a colossal $550 billion promised by Tokyo in its trade deal with President Donald Trump.

President Trump wrote on his Truth Social Platform that 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

“The scale of these projects are so large, and could not be done without one very special word, TARIFFS,” he wrote.

The commitments of $36 billion for three infrastructure projects came as Japan comes under pressure to deliver on its pledges made in 2025 in return for lower US trade tariffs.

The announcement came ahead of a scheduled trip by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to the White House next month following President Trump’s visit to Japan in October.

Takaichi said Wednesday the projects would “strengthen the Japan–US alliance by enabling Japan and the United States to jointly build resilient supply chains in strategically important areas for economic security — such as critical minerals, energy, and AI/data centers”.

“We believe these initiatives truly embody the purpose of this Strategic Investment Initiative, namely the promotion of mutual benefit between Japan and the United States, the enhancement of economic security, and the promotion of economic growth,” Takaichi said on X.

“Going forward, we will continue to work closely together between Japan and the United States to further refine the details of each project and ensure that they can be implemented promptly and smoothly,” she added.