SoftBank's Masayoshi Son has reportedly proposed establishing a large-scale joint US-Japan sovereign wealth fund to support cutting-edge technology and infrastructure in the US.
SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and proposed the idea of establishing a joint U.S.-Japan sovereign wealth fund to invest in cutting-edge technology and infrastructure, the Financial Times reported.
SoftBank's Masayoshi Son floats idea of US-Japan sovereign wealth fund
SoftBank's Son proposes $300 billion US-Japan tech fund: Report - The Statesman
https://www.thestatesman.com/business/softbanks-son-proposes-300-billion-us-japan-tech-fund-report-1503437108.html
According to the Financial Times, the new fund would be jointly owned and operated by the U.S. and Japanese ministries of finance, with each side taking an appropriate stake, allowing it to make large-scale investments in technology and infrastructure across the U.S. The fund could then be opened up to other
The idea has been raised at the very highest political levels of the Japanese and U.S. governments and has been proposed by Son's team as a template for the two governments to forge closer investment ties, according to people familiar with the matter. To effectively pursue its investment plans, the fund would need to be 'huge,' with initial capital in the range of $300 billion and then heavily leveraged, a person familiar with the discussions said.
A source with knowledge of the details was quoted as saying, 'The appeal of the joint fund is that it can provide a source of revenue for both governments,' 'Bessent has been looking to the Treasury Department for a source of revenue that doesn't involve raising taxes, and this joint fund will make that possible,' and 'Japan wants a well-managed agreement that protects Japan from ad hoc U.S. decisions.'
The plan has been discussed directly between Son and Treasury Secretary Bessent and has been briefed on to other senior government officials in both Japan and the U.S., but has not yet become a formal proposal.
The Financial Times reported, 'The idea of a joint fund has come up a number of times in recent weeks as Japanese negotiators and the Trump administration move forward toward a trade agreement. Japan has taken the position that it wants zero tariffs, while the US has made it clear that it will not fall below a baseline tariff of 10%. However, after a telephone conversation between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Ishiba expressed his hope that 'a meeting between the two leaders, scheduled to take place on the back of the G7 meeting in Canada in mid-June 2025, will be a turning point in the negotiations.'
President Trump has invited Son to press conferences several times, and at a press conference held in December 2024 before his inauguration, Son announced a 15 trillion yen investment in the United States. In January 2025 after his inauguration, Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced ' Stargate ,' an AI infrastructure investment plan worth over 70 trillion yen.
Masayoshi Son announces 15 trillion yen investment in the United States at a press conference held at President-elect Trump's home - GIGAZINE
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