U.S. Steel takeover opposition sends wrong message to Japan: analysts

Nippon Steel's $14bn acquisition triggers harsh language against key ally

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Nippon Steel's plan to buy U.S. Steel has hit home for lawmakers representing states where the storied American steelmaker is an employer. © Reuters

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

WASHINGTON -- Calls from American lawmakers to block Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel have left some observers puzzled over American priorities and the Biden administration's strategy of "friendshoring" supply chains to trusted countries.

"It sends all the wrong messages," Joshua Walker, president and CEO of New York-based Japan Society, said in an interview.

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