Japanese Prime Minister raises concerns with Biden over his move to block Nippon Steel deal for US Steel

  • CNN
  • January 13, 2025
Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba asked US President Joe Biden to allay concerns in the Japanese and US business communities over his order to block Nippon Steel's planned acquisition of U.S. Steel.

Ishiba made the request in a three-way online meeting with Biden and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday, which covered issues of economic security and cooperation in maritime security in the South China Sea, according to a spokesman from Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Prime Minister Ishiba pointed out that cooperation among allies and like-minded countries is indispensable for establishing resilient supply chains, and that it is important to make efforts to ensure that companies can invest with peace of mind in order to promote economic security," he added.

The spokesman confirmed that Ishiba mentioned the Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal in particular.

The Biden administration has delayed until June an order for Nippon Steel to abandon its $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel, the companies said on Saturday, after the president earlier blocked the acquisition on national security grounds on Jan. 3. The parties previously had 30 days to unwind their transaction.

The delay will give the courts time to review lawsuits brought by Nippon and US Steel challenging Biden's order blocking the deal. Nippon Steel and US Steel have announced their intention to move forward with their efforts to close the deal.

They filed federal lawsuits against both the federal action to block the deal, as well as against the United Steelworkers union and rival domestic steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs, which both worked to stop the deal from going through.