Trump, who takes office on January 20, “wants to make manufacturing strong again”, Hashimoto added.
“This is exactly in line with what we’re doing,” he said.
Nippon Steel had touted the takeover as a lifeline for a US company long past its heyday but opponents warned that the Japanese owners would slash jobs.
US Steel and Nippon Steel argued in their suit that Biden had blocked the deal for political reasons by ignoring the rule of law to gain favour with workers’ unions.
Protectionism is expected only to intensify under Trump, who in his first term exited a nascent Pacific-wide trade pact and has vowed to use tariffs to protect US industry.
The president-elect made clear on Monday he would not reverse the Nippon Steel decision.
“Why would they want to sell U.S. Steel now when tariffs will make it a much more profitable and valuable company?” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have U.S. Steel, once the greatest company in the world, lead the charge toward greatness again?”
Investment concerns
Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya raised the Nippon Steel case with Blinken and stressed the importance of Japanese investment in the United States, Tokyo’s foreign ministry said.
Ishiba said Monday that the United States should “explain clearly” the security worries cited by Biden.
“There are concerns being raised within Japan’s industrial world over future Japan-US investment,” Ishiba warned in unusually outspoken comments.
