ARLINGTON, Texas, May 13, 2026 — More than 500 business leaders, government officials, and investors from Japan and Texas gathered May 11-13 at Live! by Loews in Arlington for the 2026 Japan-Texas Economic Summit, hosted by the U.S.-Japan Council. The summit convened top voices from both nations to advance collaboration across energy, AI infrastructure, semiconductors, space, and advanced manufacturing.
The economic alliance spans more than 400 Japanese companies operating in Texas, $31 billion in bilateral trade, and 80,000 direct jobs supported by Japanese firms statewide.
Japanese Ambassador to the United States, Shigeo Yamada, noted that Japan has been the largest foreign investor in the United States for six consecutive years and highlighted a new framework for up to $550 billion in additional strategic Japanese investment, with several Texas projects already underway. Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura underscored deep regional ties, citing Toyota’s approximately $47 billion investment in Texas and a $250 million investment by Chubu Electric Power in the Freeport LNG project. “Texas is the heart of America, and Aichi is the heart of Japan,” he said.
U.S.-Japan Council Board Chair Sachi Hamai set the summit’s forward-looking tone: “We are not here simply to celebrate what has been built. We are here to chart the course of what comes next.”
Business leaders highlighted more than 140 Japanese-led projects in Texas over the past decade, representing over $14 billion in investment and 18,000 jobs. Panels on AI infrastructure emphasized Texas’s emergence as a premier hub for data centers, with major commitments from Google and NTT. On energy, Texas State Representative Drew Darby pointed to a newly announced $16 billion jointly owned U.S.-Japan natural gas facility in Houston as evidence that “two economies that were already intertwined are becoming genuinely indispensable to one another.”
The 2026 Japan-Texas Economic Summit concluded with the announcement of the 2027 Japan-Texas Economic Summit, signaling the continued momentum and long-term commitment of both nations to this growing partnership. We extend our deepest gratitude to all of our sponsors who made this convening possible, especially the City of Arlington and ABeam Consulting.
View the photo album here.