Group 1 - The United States and Japan are nearing a deal involving a $550 billion investment fund established by Japan, aimed at implementing key components of last year's bilateral trade agreement [1] - Three projects are considered finalists in the review process: a data center infrastructure project led by SoftBank, a deepwater oil terminal project in the Gulf of Mexico, and a synthetic diamond project for semiconductors [1] - U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yasutoshi Nishimura are in discussions that will determine whether a final agreement can be reached [1] Group 2 - During Trump's visit to Japan last year, a series of potential projects were identified, with estimated costs ranging from $350 million to as high as $100 billion, covering investments in energy, artificial intelligence, and critical minerals [2] - The discussions come after Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida won a historic election victory earlier this month, with plans to visit the U.S. in March to meet with Trump and strengthen U.S.-Japan relations [2]