FILE PHOTO: People walk near the logo of SoftBank Corp in Tokyo, Dec. 18, 2014. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
WASHINGTON - A U.S. national security panel on Friday approved a $2.25 billion investment by Japan’s Softbank in Cruise, a self-driving vehicle firm majority owned by GM, the unit told Reuters, signalling some leeway for investors with deep ties to China. The panel, known as CFIUS, approved the investment based on fresh assurances that Cruise’s technology would be completely off limits to SoftBank, whose investments in Chinese mobility firms have rattled U.S. authorities, a source familiar with the matter said.