In rare move, Japan to jointly develop and design SDF landing craft with U.K.
In what is believed to be the first time in years that the Defense Ministry will collaborate with an overseas ship designer, shipbuilder Japan Marine United (JMU) and British-based maritime design and consultancy firm BMT have secured a multimillion-dollar contract to design and build next-generation, high-speed landing craft for the Self-Defense Forces.
Awarded by the ministry's Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency, the contract announced Thursday by BMT is for three highly maneuverable landing craft, with a deal for a fourth one expected to be signed in fiscal 2025.
The vessels will help improve the Ground Self-Defense Force's ability to transport and mobilize troops, equipment and supplies to Japan's island territories in a number of scenarios, including in the event of a conflict in the East China Sea or over Taiwan.
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Asahi Shimbun
6 hours ago
- Asahi Shimbun
Trump tells U.S. steelworkers he's going to double tariffs on foreign steel to 50%
WEST MIFFLIN, Pa.--President Donald Trump on Friday told Pennsylvania steelworkers he's doubling the tariff on steel imports to 50% to protect their industry, a dramatic increase that could further push up prices for a metal used to make housing, autos and other goods. In a post later on his Truth Social platform, he added that aluminum tariffs would also be doubled to 50%. He said both tariff hikes would go into effect Wednesday. Trump spoke at U.S. Steel's Mon Valley Works–Irvin Plant in suburban Pittsburgh, where he also discussed a details-to-come deal under which Japan's Nippon Steel will invest in the iconic American steelmaker. Though Trump initially vowed to block the Japanese steelmaker's bid to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, he reversed course and announced an agreement last week for 'partial ownership' by Nippon. It's unclear, though, if the deal his administration helped broker has been finalized or how ownership would be structured. Nippon Steel has never said it is backing off its bid to outright buy and control U.S. Steel as a wholly owned subsidiary, even as it increased the amount of money it promised to invest in U.S. Steel plants and gave guarantees that it wouldn't lay off workers or close plants as it sought federal approval of the acquisition. 'We're here today to celebrate a blockbuster agreement that will ensure this storied American company stays an American company,' Trump said as he opened an event at one of U.S. Steel's warehouses. 'You're going to stay an American company, you know that, right?' As for the tariffs, Trump said doubling the levies on imported steel 'will even further secure the steel industry in the U.S.' But such a dramatic increase could push prices even higher. Steel prices have climbed 16% since Trump became president in mid-January, according to the government's Producer Price Index. As of March 2025, steel cost $984 a metric ton in the United States, significantly more than the price in Europe ($690) or China ($392), according to the U.S. Commerce Department. The United States produced about three times more steel than it imported last year, with Canada, Brazil, Mexico and South Korea being the largest sources of steel imports. Analysts have credited tariffs going back to Trump's first term with helping strengthen the domestic steel industry, something that Nippon Steel wanted to capitalize on in its offer to buy U.S. Steel. The United Steelworkers union remained skeptical. Its president, David McCall, said in a statement that the union is most concerned 'with the impact that this merger of U.S. Steel into a foreign competitor will have on national security, our members and the communities where we live and work.' Trump stressed the deal would maintain American control of the storied company, which is seen as both a political symbol and an important matter for the country's supply chain, industries like auto manufacturing and national security. Trump, who has been eager to strike deals and announce new investments in the U.S. since retaking the White House, is also trying to satisfy voters, including blue-collar workers, who elected him as he called to protect U.S. manufacturing. U.S. Steel has not publicly communicated any details of a revamped deal to investors. Nippon Steel issued a statement approving of the proposed 'partnership' but also has not disclosed terms. State and federal lawmakers who have been briefed on the matter describe a deal in which Nippon will buy U.S. Steel and spend billions on U.S. Steel facilities in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Minnesota. The company would be overseen by an executive suite and board made up mostly of Americans and protected by the U.S. government's veto power in the form of a 'golden share.' Unionized steelworkers said there is some split opinion in the ranks over Nippon Steel's acquisition, but that sentiment has shifted over time as they became more convinced that U.S. Steel would eventually shut down their Pittsburgh-area plants. Clifford Hammonds, a line feeder at the plant where Trump spoke, said at the very least the deal will help upgrade the aging plant and help increase production. 'It's putting money back into the plant to help rebuild it, because this plant is old, it's falling apart. We ain't really producing as much as we should be because, like I said, this place is old. It's falling apart. We need some type of investment to fix the machines that we've got working,' Hammonds said. No matter the terms, the issue has outsized importance for Trump, who last year repeatedly said he would block the deal and foreign ownership of U.S. Steel, as did former President Joe Biden. Trump promised during the campaign to make the revitalization of American manufacturing a priority of his second term in office. And the fate of U.S. Steel, once the world's largest corporation, could become a political liability in the midterm elections for his Republican Party in the swing state of Pennsylvania and other battleground states dependent on industrial manufacturing. Trump said Sunday he wouldn't approve the deal if U.S. Steel did not remain under U.S. control. He said it will keep its headquarters in Pittsburgh. The president closed his remarks Friday by thanking steelworkers. 'With the help of patriots like you, we're going to produce our own metal, unleash our own energy, secure our own future, build our country, control our destiny,' he said. 'We are once again going to put Pennsylvania steel into the backbone of America like never before.' In recent days, Trump and other U.S. officials began promoting Nippon Steel's new commitment to invest $14 billion on top of its $14.9 billion bid, including building a new electric arc furnace steel mill somewhere in the U.S. He was joined onstage Friday by several U.S. Steel workers, including Jason Zugai, vice president of the United Steelworkers local union at the Irvin finishing plant that defied the international union in supporting Nippon Steel's bid to buy U.S. Steel. Zugai, whose father had lost his job in a steel mill years earlier, lobbied local officials and members of Congress to support the deal, believing that U.S. Steel would otherwise shut down its Pittsburgh-area plants eventually. In his remarks, Zugai told Trump, 'I knew you wouldn't let us down' and called Nippon Steel's proposed $14 billion in investments into steel production in the U.S. 'life-changing.'
Nikkei Asia
8 hours ago
- Nikkei Asia
Footloose in Penang: Malaysian island looks to the future
GEORGE TOWN, Malaysia -- High-rise buildings arrayed like a defensive wall along the eastern coast of Malaysia's Penang Island make it hard to imagine how this tropical outpost would have appeared to the British naval officer who landed on its shore in 1786. Francis Light, who secured Penang for the British after negotiating a deal with the local Malay sultan, went on to make the largely uninhabited island Britain's main trading center in Southeast Asia, alongside nearby Singapore.
Japan Today
9 hours ago
- Japan Today
Trump holding Pennsylvania rally to promote deal for Nippon Steel to 'partner' with U.S. Steel
By MICHELLE L. PRICE and MARC LEVY President Donald Trump is holding a rally in Pennsylvania on Friday to celebrate a details-to-come deal for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in U.S. Steel, which he says will keep the iconic American steelmaker under U.S.-control. Though Trump initially vowed to block the Japanese steelmaker's bid to buy Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, he changed course and announced an agreement last week for what he described as 'partial ownership' by Nippon. It's not clear, though, if the deal his administration helped broker has been finalized or how ownership would be structured. Trump stressed the deal would maintain American control of the storied company, which is seen as both a political symbol and an important matter for the country's supply chain, industries like auto manufacturing and national security. Trump, who has been eager to strike deals and announce new investments in the U.S. since retaking the White House, is also trying to satisfy voters, including blue-collar workers, who elected him as he called to protect U.S. manufacturing. U.S. Steel has not publicly communicated any details of a revamped deal to investors. Nippon Steel issued a statement approving of the proposed 'partnership' but also has not disclosed terms of the arrangement. State and federal lawmakers who have been briefed on the matter describe a deal in which Nippon will buy U.S. Steel and spend billions on U.S. Steel facilities in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Minnesota. The company would be overseen by an executive suite and board made up mostly of Americans and protected by the U.S. government's veto power in the form of a 'golden share.' In the absence of clear details or affirmation from the companies involved, the United Steelworkers union, which has long opposed the deal, this week questioned whether the new arrangement makes 'any meaningful change' from the initial proposal. 'Nippon has maintained consistently that it would only invest in U.S. Steel's facilities if it owned the company outright,' the union said in a statement. 'We've seen nothing in the reporting over the past few days suggesting that Nippon has walked back from this position.' Unionized steelworkers say there is some split opinion in the ranks over Nippon Steel's acquisition, but that opinion has shifted over time as they became more convinced that U.S. Steel would eventually shut down their Pittsburgh-area plants. Clifford Hammonds, a line feeder at the Irvin finishing plant where Trump was speaking, said at the very least the deal will help upgrade an aging plant that doesn't produce nearly as much as it should. 'It's putting money back into the plant to help rebuild it, because this plant is old, it's falling apart. We ain't really producing as much as we should be because, like I said, this place is old. It's falling apart. We need some type of investment to fix the machines that we've got working,' Hammonds said. Other U.S. Steel union members said recruiting new employees has been difficult because of the uncertainty around the Nippon Steel deal and the future of the plants. The White House did not offer any new details Thursday. U.S. Steel did not respond to messages seeking information. Nippon Steel also declined to comment. No matter the terms, the issue has outsized importance for Trump, who last year repeatedly said he would block the deal and foreign ownership of U.S. Steel, as did former President Joe Biden. Trump promised during the campaign to make the revitalization of American manufacturing a priority of his second term in office. And the fate of U.S. Steel, once the world's largest corporation, could become a political liability in the midterm elections for his Republican Party in the swing state of Pennsylvania and other battleground states dependent on industrial manufacturing. Trump said Sunday he wouldn't approve the deal if U.S. Steel did not remain under U.S. control and said it will keep its headquarters in Pittsburgh. In an interview on Fox News Channel on Wednesday, Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Dan Meuser called the arrangement 'strictly an investment, a strategic partnership where it's American-owned, American run and remains in America.' However, Meuser said he hadn't seen the deal and added that "it's still being structured.' Pennsylvania Republican Sen. David McCormick came out in favor of the plan, calling it 'great' for the domestic steel industry, Pennsylvania, national security and U.S. Steel's employees. A bipartisan group of senators, joined by then-Senate candidate McCormick, had opposed Nippon Steel's initial proposed purchase of U.S. Steel for $14.9 billion after it was announced in late 2023. In recent days, Trump and other American officials began touting Nippon Steel's new commitment to invest $14 billion on top of its $14.9 billion bid, including building a new electric arc furnace steel mill somewhere in the U.S. Pennsylvania's other senator, Democrat John Fetterman — who lives across the street from U.S. Steel's Edgar Thomson Steel Works blast furnace — didn't explicitly endorse the new proposal. But he said he had helped jam up Nippon Steel's original bid until 'Nippon coughed up an extra $14B.' The planned 'golden share' for the U.S. amounts to three board members approved by the U.S. government, which will essentially ensure that U.S. Steel can only make decisions that'll be in the best interests of the United States, McCormick said Tuesday on Fox News. Gov Josh Shapiro, a Democrat who is seen as a potential presidential candidate, had largely refrained from publicly endorsing a deal but said at a news conference this week that he was 'cautiously optimistic' about the arrangement. In an interview published Thursday in the conservative Washington Examiner, Shapiro said: 'The deal has gotten better. The prospects for the future of steelmaking have gotten better.' Chris Kelly, the mayor of West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, where U.S. Steel's Irvin finishing plant is located, said he was 'ecstatic' about the deal, though he acknowledged some details were unknown. He said it will save thousands of jobs for his community. 'It's like a reprieve from taking steel out of Pittsburgh,' he said. Associated Press writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report. © Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
