Takaichi, Trump Expected to Agree on Japan’s $100 mil. Investment in U.S. Shipbuilding at Summit Talks

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:39 JST, March 17, 2026

The Japanese and U.S. governments are making arrangements regarding Japan’s $100 million investment in the United States to conduct research and development of shipbuilding technologies that use artificial intelligence and robotics, according to Japanese government sources.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to agree on the investment, which is intended to expand the two countries’ shipbuilding capacities, when they meet for their summit talks in Washington on Thursday.

Japan and the United States are considering a joint research and development project on AI robots capable of autonomously performing tasks needed for shipbuilding, such as welding steel plates, the sources said.

The investment is aimed at improving productivity by automating tasks that have traditionally relied on skilled workers. The move is meant to counter China, which holds the largest global market share in shipbuilding by tonnage backed due to its industrial policies and low labor costs.

The shipbuilding industry is essential for both Japan and the United States to ensure maritime transport capacity. It is one of the areas of bilateral cooperation included in Japan’s $550 billion investment in the United States, which was agreed upon during Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations. The two countries had agreed last autumn to promote their cooperation in this area.

In late 2025, the Japanese government also developed a roadmap to double the nation’s annual shipbuilding output by 2035 compared to 2024 levels. To advance the use of cutting-edge technologies and expand shipbuilding facilities, the Japanese government aims to realize a domestic investment of ¥1 trillion from both the public and private sectors.