News of an expected scuttling of Nippon Steel’s takeover of U.S. Steel was met in Japan with a mixture of disappointment and resignation, with even the loudest voices offering little more than measured criticism and balanced remarks.

“I don’t think a government should arbitrarily intervene in a single case,” digital minister Taro Kono said.

“Everyone wants the votes of labor unions in the presidential election, but I hope that the market will not be distorted by such things,” added Kono, who is in the running to be the next president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, and, effectively, the next prime minister.