Japan and the United States plan to sign a memorandum to jointly enhance their shipbuilding capabilities during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Japan starting Monday, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported.
According to a draft of the memorandum, the two governments will establish a “Japan-U.S. shipbuilding working group” aimed at stimulating their shipbuilding industries.
Japanese Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko and U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass are expected to sign the document.
The plan includes cooperation between Japanese and American companies through investment in the construction and improvement of shipyards to make them more competitive and efficient.
The shipbuilding initiative is part of a broader framework of Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations, under which Japan pledged to invest $550 billion (about ¥80 trillion) in the United States.
The draft notes that both countries recognize “that a strong and innovative shipbuilding industry is vital to the economic security, strength, and competitiveness of the maritime sector and the industrial resilience of both nations.”
The agreement seeks to counter China, which accounted for more than 70% of global shipbuilding orders by tonnage in 2024, while Japan’s share fell to 8%.
The memorandum also outlines cooperation in personnel training, maintenance, and parts supply between the two countries’ shipyards.
