By David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Trevor Hunnicutt and Tim Kelly TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The foreign ministers of Japan and the United States said their countries' ties were stronger than ever on Tuesday,

Japan's prime minister on Monday urged Washington to dispel concerns that a decision by Joe Biden to block Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel could impact future investments. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the veteran Democrat's decision had sparked worries over future Japanese investments in the world's largest economy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted during a visit to Tokyo on Tuesday that ties with Japan were stronger than ever, days after President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel.

The president said he was moving to protect national security in deciding the fate of the iconic Pennsylvania-based company, which became a contentious political issue in an election year.

US President Joe Biden on Friday blocked Japan's Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of US Steel, citing national security concerns – a decision that economists say could hurt American steelworkers and the US economy.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded the close economic and security partnership between the US and Japan after a controversial move by US President Joe Biden to label Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. as a national security risk.

President Joe Biden has rejected the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argued President Biden is selling out to Big Labor by blocking the sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese-owned Nippon Steel. “The Biden administration will leave America’s core economic and national-security interests less secure than it found them,

Citing national security concerns, President Joe Biden blocked the $15 billion international sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese company Nippon Steel on Jan. 3, 2025. In a joint statement after the announcement U.