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On Tuesday and Wednesday, President Trump announced new frameworks with key allies Japan and Korea during visits to each country. Here’s what you need to know.

U.S.-Japan critical minerals framework: The framework with Japan, which goes further than the memoranda of understanding signed with Malaysia and Thailand earlier in the trip, aims to leverage public and private financing for critical minerals, particularly those used to manufacture permanent magnets, batteries, catalysts and optical materials. The agreement also includes:

• Joint project identification, including a timeframe of six months (by April 2026) to provide support to enable financing of projects.

• Reforms to permitting in both countries to speed up approval of mining and processing projects.

• Cooperation on various China measures, including addressing non-market policies and unfair trade practices in critical minerals and reviewing and deterring “asset sales” (a seeming reference to Chinese acquisitions of overseas mineral assets).
• Other actions to strengthen cooperation, fix supply chain vulnerabilities and discover new sources of critical minerals.

The outlook: The framework agreement is non-binding; however, the U.S. and Japan have committed to meet quickly (within 10 days) upon request by either party.

• Read the full text of the agreement here.

Tech prosperity deals: New “Technology Prosperity Deals” between the U.S. and both countries focus on fostering cooperation on “strategic science and technology disciplines,” notably AI, 5G/6G networks, biotechnology, quantum information sciences, fusion energy and space.

• The deals are a non-binding “Memorandum of Cooperation” for Japan and a “Memorandum of Understanding” for South Korea, signed by OSTP Director Michael Kratsios and his counterparts.

• AI features heavily, including advancing pro-innovation AI policy frameworks and promoting exports across the full AI tech stack. The language tracks closely with the White House AI action plan and AI export strategy.

• Cooperation on “Research Security” likely refers to China and its alleged attempts to use overseas students to gain access to sensitive research.

• Read the full text of the U.S. Japan Tech Prosperity Deal here and the U.S.-Korea Tech Prosperity Deal  here.

Billions in Japanese Investments: The White House released a fact sheet detailing “major projects advancing Japan’s previous $550 billion investment commitment,” as well as Japanese energy purchases and cooperation on drug trafficking.

• The commitments add up to $490 billion, so more deals may be in store to reach Japan’s commitment.

• The largest share ($332 billion) is for energy infrastructure in the U.S., including nuclear reactors, large-scale baseload power infrastructure and additional projects for power plants, substations and transmission systems. Additional energy-related projects totaled $70 billion.

• Key players include Westinghouse, GE Vernova, Hitachi, EntraA1 Energy, Bechtel, Kiewit, Softbank, Kinder Morgan, Toshiba, and Carrier.

• AI infrastructure will see $75 billion including power systems for data centers (Mitsubishi), electronic components and power modules (TDK), and optical fiber cables (Fujikura).

• Also included were other announcements on electronics, critical minerals, and port infrastructure.

Markets: The fact sheet also provides details on Japan’s commitment to improve market access for the U.S., including plans by Toyota to export U.S.-made vehicles to Japan and Japan’s commitment not to discriminate against U.S. digital companies.

• Read the full fact sheet here.

Korean investments: The U.S. and South Korea reached an agreement on South Korean commitments to invest in and buy from the U.S.

• Korean Air committed to purchases from Boeing and GE Aerospace, as well as selection by ROK Air Force of L3Harris Technologies for a new project.

• American and Korean companies will partner to launch a U.S.-based, vertically integrated rare earth separation, mining and magnet production complex.

• Korean companies committed to term purchases of U.S. LNG, supporting expansion of uranium enrichment and investing in power-grid infrastructure.

• Investments to modernize American shipyards, cooperation on maintenance, repair and overhauls of vessels and workforce development at the Philadelphia Shipyard.
• The fact sheet also includes a commitment by Amazon to invest $5 billion to build South Korea’s cloud infrastructure.
• Read the full fact sheet here