Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel said that “the U.S.-Japan alliance is deeper and stronger than any single economic transaction or business transaction,” responding to a reporter’s question about the decision by U.S. President Joe Biden to block Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel.
“You have a right to ask questions about the implications [of the move],” the envoy said, but refused to comment further. Instead, he pointed out that in the past “the U.S. has awarded distinctly and uniquely a Japanese company a contract that goes directly to our national security,” noting the one with Mitsui E&S, a subsidiary of which is slated to replace port cranes in the U.S. that were built by Chinese companies, and also highlighting Toyota Motor, which is to join NASA’s Artemis project to send astronauts to the moon.
