The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC; Governor: HAYASHI Nobumitsu) signed on April 17 a loan agreement amounting to approximately USD7 million with Japan Invest 1 LLC (JI1), a U.S. company established with equity investment from JBIC. The loan is co-financed with private financial institutions, bringing the total co-financing amount to approximately USD23 million. Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) will provide the insurance for the loan by the private financial institutions.
The loan is intended to provide the funds necessary for JI1 to invest in an industrial synthetic diamond manufacturing and sales project, which constitutes one of the first batch of projects under the Strategic Investment Initiative based on the Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Investment announced by the Governments of Japan and the United States in September 2025. This loan corresponds to the initial investment for this project.
Industrial synthetic diamonds are critical materials indispensable for processing components and materials used across a wide range of industries, including the automotive, aircraft, and semiconductor sectors, and ensuring their stable supply is important from the perspectives of economic security and supply chain resilience for both Japan and the U.S. The synthetic diamonds produced under this project will be supplied to customers in the U.S. market, and are also expected to be provided to a wide range of Japanese industries operating in the U.S. In addition, it has been confirmed through Japan-U.S. intergovernmental consultations that some Japanese diamond tool manufacturers have expressed interest in the supply from this project for the Japanese market. Accordingly, this loan is expected to contribute toward strengthening supply chain resilience.
The Government of Japan has indicated that the promotion of this project is aligned with the objectives of the Strategic Investment Initiative, including the promotion of mutual benefits between Japan and the U.S., the enhancement of economic security, and the promotion of economic growth.
