Blinken visits Japan as Nippon Steel decision weighs on relations 

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi at Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's official residence in Tokyo, Jan. 7, 2025.

U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to block Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel cast a shadow over Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Japan on Tuesday for farewell meetings with Washington's most important ally in Asia.