Fact Check: Did US, Japan announce $40 billion nuclear power project amid Iran conflict?

WASHINGTON, DC: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi visited the White House on Thursday, March 19, for a high-stakes summit with President Donald Trump. This marked her first official visit to the US as Japan's leader, amid heightened global tensions, particularly the ongoing US-Iran conflict.

Soon after her visit, a rumor circulated online claiming that the United States and Japan announced a $40 billion nuclear power project. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.

Claim: US and Japan announce $40 billion nuclear power project

An X account came up with a post on Thursday that read, "US and Japan announce $40 billion nuclear power project."

The post, which also contained images of President Trump and Sanae Takaichi from their White House meeting, garnered more than a million views, and more than 30,000 people liked the post.

Takaichi arrived in Washington on March 18-19, with the main bilateral meeting held at the White House on Thursday. The visit spanned three days and included a formal state dinner hosted by Trump.

The agenda of the visit focused on strengthening the US-Japan alliance, security cooperation, trade, economic ties, and regional stability in the Asia-Pacific. 

However, the conversations were heavily overshadowed by the Iran war. Trump has sought allied support, while Japan emphasized opposition to Iran's nuclear program without direct military involvement. 

Moreover, a potential announcement involved a major US nuclear reactor deal or energy market stabilization proposal from Japan. 

Moreover, Trump described Takaichi warmly as a 'great friend and partner' and highlighted past trade deals. There were also lighter moments, such as Takaichi's shout-out to Barron Trump near his birthday during the dinner.

The evening also featured a White House dinner in the State Dining Room with a guest list including key cabinet members, business leaders, and diplomats.

Fact Check: True, aligns with official announcements

The claim made in the viral social media post is true, as it aligns with official announcements from the March 19 White House summit.

President Trump and Sanae Takaichi formally announced a second tranche of Japanese investments under the 2025 US-Japan Strategic Trade and Investment Agreement. This includes up to $40 billion for GE Vernova and Hitachi to build BWRX-300 small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) in Tennessee and Alabama. 

A joint announcement read, "The groundbreaking commercial deployment of the advanced SMRs in the US will serve as a tremendous next-generation stable power source, stabilizing electricity prices for the American people and strengthening the Japan-US leadership in global technological competition."

Moreover, Japan had earlier announced that it would invest $36 billion for a natural gas plant in Ohio, a crude oil export facility along the US Gulf Coast, and a synthetic diamond manufacturing site in Georgia as part of the first batch of spending under the trade agreement framework. 

Interestingly, nuclear projects will still need standard regulatory approvals, but the governments have now publicly committed to and announced the deal.

Meanwhile, the US and Japan will continue to cooperate on matters related to investment security, as Japan plans to strengthen its mechanism for reviewing inbound investment based on national security risks.