When Business and Politics Collide: Lessons from Nippon Steel

October 29, 2025 • 10:00 – 11:00 am EDT

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Japan Chair

Nippon Steel’s acquisition of U.S. Steel has been one of the most dramatic foreign investment sagas of recent years, from its politicization during the 2024 presidential election to President Joe Biden’s decision to block the deal to President Donald Trump’s eventual approval in June 2025. What lessons can be learned from the experience of Nippon Steel for foreign companies considering investing in the U.S.? To what extent has the U.S. government’s “golden share” in U.S. Steel set a precedent for government-business relations? What are the broader implications of this case for future U.S. policy and U.S.-Japan relations? The CSIS Japan Chair invites you to join a panel discussion with leading U.S. and Japanese experts to examine these questions from local, national, and international perspectives. 

This event is made possible through general support to CSIS. 

Opening Remarks

Dr. Kristi Govella, Senior Adviser and Japan Chair, CSIS; Associate Professor, University of Oxford  

Panel Discussion

Dr. Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Associate Professor of International Studies, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington 

 

Dr. Michael Beeman, Lecturer, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego 

 

Dr. Kay Shimizu, Research Assistant Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh 

 

Dr. Shujiro Urata, Professor Emeritus, Waseda University 

 

Moderated by Dr. Kristi Govella, Senior Adviser and Japan Chair, CSIS; Associate Professor, University of Oxford  

Closing Remarks 

Dr. Kristi Govella, Senior Adviser and Japan Chair, CSIS; Associate Professor, University of Oxford  

Tags

Asia, Japan, Americas, Geopolitics and International Security, Economic Security, Global Markets, Trade and International Business, and Strategic Capital

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Contact Information

Sarah Bauerle Danzman

Sarah Bauerle Danzman

Associate Professor of International Studies, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington
Michael Beeman

Michael Beeman

Lecturer, School of Global Policy and Strategy, University of California San Diego
Kay Shimizu

Kay Shimizu

Research Assistant Professor, School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh
Shujiro Urata

Shujiro Urata

Professor Emeritus, Waseda University

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