TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told United States President Joe Biden that “strong” concerns have been raised over his decision to block Nippon Steel’s takeover of US Steel, local media reported on Monday (Jan 14).
Citing national security concerns, Biden put a stop to the US$14.9 billion sale and irked one of Washington’s closest allies.
“I said that strong voices of concerns are being raised not just in Japan but also in the US business community, and I urged (Biden) to dispel these feelings,” Ishiba told reporters after a call with Biden and Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos on Monday.
Both firms have launched legal action, accusing the outgoing US president of “illegal interference”.
Nippon Steel had touted the acquisition as a lifeline for US Steel, but opponents warned the Japanese giant would slash jobs – despite its assurances to the contrary.
The takeover, which was announced in 2023, came in the run-up to last year’s US presidential election and proved a political flashpoint.
US Steel is based in the swing state of Pennsylvania and both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris opposed the transaction.
Japanese firms invested almost US$800 billion in the US in 2023, more than any other country and 14.3 per cent of the total, according to official US data.
US firms are also the biggest outside investors in Japan.
Japan is also a close strategic ally for Washington as it seeks to counter China asserting its presence in contested areas of the South China Sea.
The US has about 54,000 military personnel stationed in Japan, mostly on the southern island of Okinawa.
Both steel companies said on Sunday that US authorities have extended the deadline for unwinding the acquisition deal until Jun 18.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya, who will attend Trump’s inauguration as US president on Jan 20, said it was important to see the “big picture” of bilateral ties.
“It is important to appropriately deal with the issue while not undermining the big picture of the Japan-US alliance,” he said on Sunday during a television debate.
“I will ask the US side to remove concerns which are spreading in the business community.”
Iwaya also said that while in Washington he would seek talks with Marco Rubio, slated to be Trump’s Secretary of State, and to lay the groundwork for a meeting between Ishiba and Trump.
Kyodo News cited government sources as saying that this could take place before mid-February.
During Trump’s first term, he and Japan’s then-prime minister Shinzo Abe enjoyed warm relations. In December, Trump met Abe’s widow at Mar-a-Lago.
US ALLIES
In recent years, with an eye on China, Washington has sought to improve strategic relations with both Japan and the Philippines as well as with South Korea.
Biden hosted Marcos along with Ishiba’s predecessor Fumio Kishida at the White House last April.
Marcos’s office said that the three-way call on Monday morning was to “reaffirm their commitment to strengthening cooperation in areas such as economic growth, emerging technologies, climate action, clean energy and regional security”.
Biden also “highlighted the ‘historic progress’ made, particularly in maritime security, economic security and technological collaboration” between the three countries, the statement said.