Blinken wants to strengthen the alliance with Japan despite the US Steel case – Observer

The head of North American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, said this Tuesday that he hopes to strengthen relations between Japan and the United States in the face of “global challenges”, despite the dispute surrounding the US Steel company.

“Japan and the United States are strengthening their relations not only in the region, but also in terms of global issues”, said the US Secretary of State, in Tokyo.

“Although there is an administration transition in the United States, we will continue to move forward steadily to face various challenges,” added Blinken, at the start of a working lunch with his Japanese counterpart, Takeshi Iwaya.

The diplomat is expected to be replaced by Marco Rubio with the inauguration, on January 20, of President-elect Donald Trump.

This visit “shows not only the importance, the centrality that the United States attributes to our alliance,” said Blinken.

“This alliance, I believe, is truly stronger than ever,” said the Secretary of State, highlighting the need for coordination in the face of threats from North Korea.

The Pyongyang regime launched a ballistic missile toward the Sea of ​​Japan while Blinken was visiting South Korea.

Nippon Steel will challenge Biden’s decision to block acquisition of US Steel

Iwaya reiterated that he would like to “continue to take the Japan-US alliance to new heights” and pledged to have a comprehensive conversation with Blinken about the current state of bilateral relations.

The meeting took place one day after the Japanese company Nippon Steel and the North American company US Steel announced legal action against the Joe Biden administration for “illegal interference” in the project to acquire the North American steel company by the Japanese group.

In a joint statement, the two groups indicated that they filed an appeal in a United States court, considering that Biden used his influence improperly for political purposes.

Biden announced on Friday the decision to block the purchase of US Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel for national security reasons and to ensure that “the United States has a strong domestic steel industry”.

“This acquisition would have placed one of the largest North American steel producers under foreign control and would have created risks to our national security and our essential supply chains,” Biden said in a statement.

The North American metalworkers union had expressed its firm opposition to the merger, an operation valued at almost 15 billion dollars (14.4 billion euros), while Nippon Steel considered it a lifeline for an industrial sector in difficulties.

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, with whom Blinken is expected to meet on Tuesday, asked Washington to explain the risks to “national security” that led Biden to reject the operationin order to “dispel the concerns” of Japanese industrialists.