130 U.S. and Japanese Companies Ratify Joint Statement at 63rd Business Conference

One hundred and thirty U.S. and Japanese companies have ratified a Joint Statement calling on both governments to accelerate mutual investment, expand cooperation on AI and advanced technologies, strengthen trusted global supply chains, and advance regulatory harmonization and permitting reforms.

The ratification took place at the final session of the 63rd U.S.-Japan Business Conference, held in Washington, D.C., under the theme "Allied for Growth: Driving the Next Era of the U.S.-Japan Economic Partnership."

Who issued the statement?

Two organizations co-hosted the conference: the U.S.-Japan Business Council and the Japan-U.S. Business Council. The councils convened the 63rd edition of the conference against a backdrop they describe as a period of strong commercial momentum and strategic alignment between the two countries.

That momentum, according to the Joint Statement, is driven by three factors the councils identify explicitly:

• Deep integration in corporate strategy
• Mutual investment between the two economies
• Shared innovation

The councils said they held the conference under this year's theme specifically to capitalize on the full potential of the current moment in the bilateral relationship.

What does the statement ask both governments to do?

The Joint Statement calls on Washington and Tokyo to build on the strong commercial momentum between the two countries through four concrete lines of effort.

Accelerating mutual investment. The statement places investment first among its priorities, reflecting the depth of two-way capital ties the councils cite as a foundation of the partnership.

Expanding cooperation on AI and advanced technologies. The inclusion of artificial intelligence signals that the business communities on both sides of the Pacific view emerging technology as a core pillar of the next phase of the economic relationship, not a peripheral issue.

Strengthening resilient and trusted global supply chains. The wording pairs resilience with trust, framing supply chain policy as both an operational and a strategic-security concern for member companies.

Advancing regulatory harmonization and permitting reforms. The statement ties this item to a specific goal: reforms that support sustainable economic growth.

Why does the 63rd edition matter?

The conference is a long-running institution in bilateral commercial diplomacy. This year's gathering marked the 63rd iteration, a record that underscores the continuity of the dialogue between the two business councils even as the policy agenda has shifted toward AI, supply chain resilience, and permitting reform.

The theme chosen for this session — "Allied for Growth: Driving the Next Era of the U.S.-Japan Economic Partnership" — positions the business communities as active drivers of the next phase of the relationship rather than observers of it.

The scale of the ratification also carries weight. A Joint Statement backed by 130 companies on both sides gives the document a breadth of industry support that individual corporate lobbying cannot match, and it hands both governments a consolidated private-sector agenda.

What comes next?

The statement now sits with the two governments. Its four priorities — investment, AI and advanced technology, supply chains, and regulatory harmonization — amount to a roadmap the councils expect Washington and Tokyo to act on as they build on the current commercial momentum between the two economies.