Eiji Hashimoto, chairman and chief executive of Nippon Steel, the world’s fourth-largest steelmaker, said there was “no reason or need to give up” on the bid. After meeting on Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, Blinken said the U.S.-Japan alliance was “stronger than it’s ever been before.” He did not answer a question from NBC News about the Nippon Steel bid. Nippon Steel chairman and chief executive Eiji Hashimoto in Tokyo on Tuesday. In its efforts to promote the deal, Nippon Steel has emphasized that U.S. Steel would remain American-run, its headquarters would remain based in Pittsburgh, and there would be no layoffs or plant closures as a result of the takeover. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel are also suing the United Steelworkers president, David McCall, as well as Lourenco Goncalves, the head of U.S. Steel rival Cleveland-Cliffs, accusing them of illegally coordinating to undermine the transaction.

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Persons: Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, —, Eiji Hashimoto, ”, Biden, “, Shigeru Ishiba, Blinken, Kazuhiro Nogi, Robyn Patterson, David McCall, Lourenco Goncalves, McCall, Goncalves, ” Biden, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Issei Kato, Trump, ” Hashimoto, Arata Yamamoto, Abigail Williams, Jennifer Jett Organizations: Steel, Nippon Steel, U.S . Steel, Biden, Japanese, U.S ., NBC News, Getty, Foreign Investment, U.S, Steel American, American, Justice, United Steelworkers, Democratic Locations: TOKYO, Japan, Tokyo, “, United States, U.S, AFP, American, Pittsburgh, China, Pennsylvania, Cleveland, Hong Kong