October 29, 2025

In a spicy twist from Tokyo, former US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday evening that Toyota, the world’s biggest car maker, was planning a massive $10 billion investment in the United States. Sounds like a huge win for US factories and jobs, right? Not so fast! Just a day later, Toyota’s senior executive Hiroyuki Ueda stepped in to cool down the excitement. Speaking to reporters during the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo on Wednesday, Ueda made it clear that Toyota never explicitly promised to drop $10 billion in US investments. He explained that talks with Japan’s government and the US Embassy before Trump’s visit never included such a specific commitment. “During the first Trump administration, I think the figure was roughly around $10 billion, so while we didn’t say the same scale, we did explain that we’ll keep investing and providing employment as before. So, probably because of that context, the figure of about $10 billion came up,” Ueda shared. To put it plainly, Toyota didn’t promise to invest $10 billion over the next few years but assured they will keep creating jobs and investing steadily in the US market. Also, when Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda briefly met Trump at a US Embassy event, the topic of investment wasn’t even discussed. Apart from these investment talks, Trump met with Japan’s new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, who is the first female premier of Japan. He applauded her pledge for a faster military buildup, and they also signed important deals concerning trade and rare earth minerals. So, while Trump’s visit brought some sizzling headlines, the Toyota $10 billion investment is more of a hopeful number than a done deal. The saga continues as both sides work quietly behind the scenes to strengthen their business ties.

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Tags: Toyota, Donald trump, Investment, United states, Japan, Sanae takaichi,