Blinken visits Japan as Nippon Steel decision weighs on relations

7/1/2025 12:59

U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to block Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel cast a shadow over Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Japan on Tuesday for farewell meetings with Washington's most important ally in Asia.



The rejection, announced on Friday, has jolted U.S. efforts to boost ties with Asian allies just as South Korea's political crisis potentially complicates a revived relationship between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo. The trilateral alliance is a key plank in the countries' efforts to counter China's military buildup.

Investment into the U.S. could also be chilled, but analysts say any damage to the wider U.S.-Japan relationship will likely be limited given shared security concerns about China.



On Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba described Biden's decision to block the sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel as "perplexing".



Accompanied by White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Blinken met Japan's Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya in Tokyo and will hold talks later in the day with Ishiba and other senior Japanese officials