US, Japan and South Korea Sign Small Modular Reactor Pact

The United States, Japan, and the Republic of Korea signed a trilateral Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) on July 7, 2026, in Ankara, Türkiye. Signed on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, the agreement seeks to accelerate the deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) in third countries, with a primary focus on the Indo-Pacific region.

Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State, and his counterparts from Japan and South Korea established a framework to optimize supply chains, streamline licensing, and de-risk project development. The initiative aims to provide competitive low-carbon energy alternatives and enhance energy security while adhering to safety and nonproliferation standards. To support these efforts, the United States is providing over $10 million to the Department of State's Foundational Infrastructure for Responsible Use of Small Modular Reactor Technology (FIRST) program to fund technical support and a new regional training hub.

Parallel to the government agreement, an industry initiative involving GE Vernova, Hitachi, Samsung C&T, and SGE was announced to deploy the BWRX-300 SMR across Europe. During the same summit, the foreign ministers also reaffirmed their commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to coordinate against North Korea's illicit cyber activities and cryptocurrency thefts used to fund its weapons programs.