US Signs Tech Deals with Japan and South Korea

The Trump administration signed “technology prosperity deals” with Japan and South Korea this week, signalling a desire to boost collaboration on emerging technologies and related research. The deals are very similar to one signed with the UK last month.

The deals with Japan and South Korea aim to “align regulatory and standards approaches, accelerate research and development, and strengthen national security,” states a White House press release. Both plans highlight potential areas of collaboration on artificial intelligence, research security, biotechnology, quantum technology, space, and 6G, but do not commit any funding to these efforts and are not legally binding.

The agreement with Japan mentions plans to collaborate on fusion R&D at the JT-60SA test facility, with the goal of developing commercial fusion reactors. It says the U.S. intends to deepen collaboration with Japan on the International Space Station, future Artemis lunar surface exploration missions, and commercial space projects. The agreement also highlights potential collaboration on AI standards, R&D, and exports.

In a speech in Japan on Tuesday, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios said that the deal shows the U.S.’s “deep respect for Japan as a trusted technology partner, including for the American AI ecosystem.” International diplomacy is a pillar of America’s AI Action Plan , which the Trump administration published in July, Kratsios noted.

“We reject global governance of AI innovation, and seek bilateral agreements like this one to form the foundation of a future of shared security and prosperity,” Kratsios said.

The agreement with South Korea covers many of the same areas of collaboration as Japan, but also pledges to engage in discussions to promote STEM education for children, and highlights a desire to collaborate on basic research. The agreement also mentions several areas of collaboration in space, including a Korean cubesat rideshare on Artemis II, NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, the development of a GPS-compatible Korea Positioning System, and potential partnerships related to low earth orbit destinations.

Though the deals are described by the White House as “bilateral agreements,” they are not considered international agreements in a formal, legal sense, as they do not bind the signing countries, Cole Donovan, associate director for science and technology ecosystem development at the Federation of American Scientists, told FYI. Donovan previously worked on international science and technology issues at OSTP and the State Department.

The memoranda have much in common with other non-binding cooperation documents signed in prior administrations, such as the series of quantum cooperation statements developed during the first Trump and Biden administrations, Donovan said.

The U.S. already has formal scientific and technical cooperation agreements with Japan and South Korea . Japan’s agreement was extended for a period of 18 months in July 2024 and is close to expiring. South Korea’s agreement was extended for a decade in 2023. The technology prosperity deals signed this week are explicitly designed not to conflict with existing S&T agreements, Donovan said. He added that, in Japan’s case, it seems as if the new deal signals an intention to extend the existing agreement.

Donovan said that the new memoranda could lead to significant collaboration if they receive sufficient support and commitment, but he notes it may be some time before the impact becomes clear. “Any new cooperation might need to go through the full proposal and review process on each side, meaning that it could be years before we actually see any tangible outcomes from this kind of work,” he said.

Earlier this year, the State Department eliminated its Office of Science and Technology Cooperation as part of a sweeping reorganization of the agency. The office was responsible for negotiating and overseeing thousands of international scientific collaboration agreements. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment on the current status of the office, nor the current status of the U.S.-Japan S&T agreement. An automated email reply said “responses may be delayed due to the government shutdown caused by congressional Democrats.”