Masayoshi Son, the billionaire behind SoftBank, is working with the Trump administration on a plan to create a massive US-Japan sovereign wealth fund that would pump hundreds of billions of dollars into tech and infrastructure across the United States, according to The Financial Times. The idea is being discussed at the highest levels of government in both countries, and it’s already been brought up directly with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Talks are still in early stages, but both sides have raised the proposal repeatedly in recent weeks as part of wider trade negotiations. The US Treasury and Japan’s Ministry of Finance would act as co-owners of the fund, each holding a large stake. It would also allow for additional limited partners to invest and might even give ordinary citizens from both countries the chance to buy in. One official familiar with the conversation allegedly said the fund would need to be “enormous,” estimating an initial capital pool of $300 billion, and that it would likely be heavily leveraged to increase its reach. The fund would directly invest in profitable projects, delivering returns to the governments rather than relying on indirect benefits like tax revenue from private builders. Bessent looks for new revenue sources, Ishiba eyes G7 milestone Scott Bessent is reportedly pushing for new streams of government revenue that don’t involve raising taxes. “The theory is that Bessent is looking for revenue streams for the Treasury that do not involve raising taxes, and however far out this joint fund may sound, it would in theory provide that,” one person briefed on the talks said. The goal is to design a new kind of sovereign financial partnership, where Japan would be protected from political volatility in the US while still profiting from shared ventures. Shigeru Ishiba, who leads Japan’s government, has shown strong interest in this structure. On Friday, he spoke with Donald Trump for 45 minutes by phone to talk about security, tariffs, and diplomacy. Afterward, Ishiba told reporters he expects their upcoming face-to-face meeting at the G7 summit in Canada this June to be a major moment for both the investment fund talks and the stalled tariff negotiations. Japan has made clear it wants zero tariffs, while Trump’s team has drawn a line at a 10% minimum rate. Ishiba, speaking Sunday in Kyoto, said there had been “progress” on a range of issues including non-tariff measures and economic security. Japan’s top trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, had been in Washington that same Friday for the third round of official tariff talks with US officials. Trump and Son connect through Stargate, shipbuilding also on the table Masayoshi Son has been actively involved in shaping the proposal. He’s been a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago, where he’s met directly with Trump. The SoftBank founder was also one of the key figures standing beside Trump in January, during the announcement of the $500 billion Stargate project . The plan includes building AI infrastructure and data centers across the US, with Oracle and OpenAI named as major players. That project, according to people who’ve spoken with Son, is exactly the kind of initiative this US-Japan wealth fund could back. If the fund becomes reality, it would replace the old playbook where governments gave tax incentives to attract factory builds or private construction. Instead, this one would cut the middleman and give direct investment returns based on the share owned by each government. Bessent wants it to be the model for future deals with allies, while Japan wants protections baked in to avoid dealing with random White House policy swings. Shigeru Ishiba also brought up military shipbuilding cooperation during his Sunday briefing. He said Trump’s administration had shown interest in letting US warships be repaired in Japan, and Tokyo is open to it. He mentioned icebreaker technology, a Japanese specialty, as a potential link — especially for Arctic trade routes, which are becoming more important. “We will continue to further refine our discussions with the G7 summit in mind,” Ishiba said. Your crypto news deserves attention - KEY Difference Wire puts you on 250+ top sites
