The Japan Iron and Steel Federation has asked the government to monitor steel imports in the wake of the U.S. decision to impose hefty tariffs on them, federation officials said Thursday.
The federation fears that the U.S. import curbs may spark an influx of steel products into Japan, the officials said.
President George W. Bush announced March 5 that his administration will impose three-year tariffs of up to 30 percent on a range of steel imports, effective Wednesday, in a bid to rescue the struggling U.S. steel industry.
The European Union and Canada are also considering introducing similar import restrictions.