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NEDO and ARPA-E Sign Updated Memorandum of Understanding

June 22, 2026

On June 15, NEDO Chairman SAITO and Director Prochaska of the United States’ Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) signed an amended memorandum of understanding (MOU).

NEDO and ARPA-E have already been working to share views on areas of mutual priority for Japan and the United States, exploring potential collaboration, and conducting personnel exchanges, joint workshops, and other activities under the MOU signed in 2023. The amended MOU features an enhanced promotion of joint research projects into advanced technologies that contribute to energy affordability, reliability, and security.

A meeting was held on the occasion of the signing between Chairman SAITO and Director Prochaska, during which they introduced their organizations’ activities and discussed the current state of various fields, including quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals in the United States and Japan. They also reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen cooperation between the two organizations under this amended MOU.

  • Both signatories present the signed MOU (center: Mr. SAITO Tamotsu, Chairman of NEDO, right: Mr. Conner Prochaska, Director of ARPA-E, left: Mr. KIKUKAWA Jingo, Director-General, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Govt. of Japan)

Group photo of meeting participants (from left: Mr. NAKANISHI Tomoaki, Director, Policy Planning and Coordination Division, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Govt. of Japan, Mr. KIKUKAWA Jingo, Director-General, Innovation and Environment Policy Bureau, Mr. TANABE Takefumi, Director General, Technology and Innovation Strategy Center of NEDO, Mr. SAITO Tamotsu, Chairman of NEDO, Mr. Conner Prochaska, Director of ARPA-E, Mr. Spencer Silverman, Chief of Staff of ARPA-E, Mr. Cameron Salony, DOE Japan Director and Energy Attaché, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, Mr. YOSHIDA Takeshi, Executive Director of NEDO, Dr. KISHIMOTO Kikuo, Executive Director of NEDO)