Japan Agrees to Increase U.S. Rice Imports by 75％, Invest $550 Bil. in Key U.S. Industries

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:00 JST, July 25, 2025

WASHINGTON — The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday released the content of its trade and investment agreement with Japan following tariff talks between the two countries. The agreement includes Japan increasing imports of U.S. rice by 75%, investing $550 billion (¥8 trillion) in key U.S. industries and purchasing U.S. defense equipment.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent indicated that the United States would reverse the tariff rate back to 25% from 15% if it considers Japan has failed to comply.

According to the released agreement, Japan will immediately increase imports of U.S. rice by 75%, with a major expansion of the duty-free rice import quota, called “minimum access.” U.S. rice accounted for about 45%, or 346,000 tons, of the 770,000-ton quota last fiscal year.

Japan will invest $550 billion in the United States to rebuild and expand core U.S. industries. The money will go to energy infrastructure and production, semiconductor manufacturing and research. It will also go toward critical minerals mining, processing and refining, pharmaceutical and medical production and commercial and defense shipbuilding, according to the agreement. “The United States will retain 90% of the profits from the investment,” it also stated.

During an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Bessent said, “We’ll evaluate [Japan’s performance] every quarter and if the president’s unhappy then we’ll boomerang it back to the 25% tariff rate, both on cars and the rest of their products.”