Oshiete!
Berita 
Masjid
Info Kurs Media Jepang
Blinken in Japan after rift on steel deal
JAPAN TODAY
| Kemarin, 16:34
2 0 0
0
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Japan on Tuesday for talks expected to address North Korean missile launches, but President Joe Biden's blocking of a steel deal is straining the allies' warm ties.
Business groups say Biden's decision could have a chilling effect on investment in the world's largest economy, where leaders across the political divide have called for closer ties with Japan to counter a rising China.
With two weeks left before President-elect Donald Trump takes over, the top U.S. diplomat arrived in Tokyo from Seoul late Monday on what is likely his final tour.
Biden has called nurturing U.S. alliances a top priority -- but days before Blinken's trip, he blocked Nippon Steel's $14.9-billion takeover of long-struggling US Steel, citing national security concerns.
In response, the two companies filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Biden administration's "illegal interference" in the transaction.
Nippon Steel chair Eiji Hashimoto on Tuesday slammed "Biden's unjust decision" and said the companies were committed to fight for their merger.
"We're certain the lawsuit will reveal a set of facts that clearly violate the constitution and the law, so I believe we have a chance of winning," he told reporters.
Trump, who takes office on January 20, "wants to make manufacturing strong again, and once again enrich the lives and future of manufacturing workers", Hashimoto added. "This is exactly in line with what we're doing."
Blinken had a sushi breakfast at a famous fish market on Tuesday and will later meet Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.
Blinken is expected to discuss a flare-up in tensions on North Korea, which on Monday test-fired a missile into the sea just as the US politician was visiting fellow ally South Korea.
Blinken had been in Seoul in part to push to preserve three-way cooperation by the United States, Japan and South Korea.
Conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol has pushed to turn the page on historical tension with Japan, but he was impeached after he stunned South Korea last month with a failed attempt to impose martial law.
"It's in the strategic interest of each of our countries not just to sustain this trilateral cooperation, but to grow it in the years ahead," Blinken told reporters in Seoul.
© 2025 AFP
komentar
Jadi yg pertama suka
Belum Jadi Warga?
Daftar yuk!