Trump Secures $490B Pledges, Rare‑Earths Deal

President Donald Trump visited Tokyo and cultivated ties with Japan’s newly elected prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, exchanging gifts and public gestures. Tokyo and Washington signed a rare‑earths and critical‑minerals agreement and issued a joint statement praising a renewed era in ties. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced up to $490 billion in business commitments tied to the trip — including about $100 billion apiece for Westinghouse and GE Vernova nuclear projects — though officials said details and timelines remain unclear and the pledges approach the administration’s $550 billion target. The visit included prominent displays of U.S. goods and business symbolism, and Trump then flew to South Korea to attend APEC. He is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Busan/Gyeongju on Oct. 30 to seek a thaw in ties, with Washington reportedly seeking tariff relief in exchange for Beijing curbing fentanyl‑precursor exports and planning to raise tech issues including Nvidia’s Blackwell chip.