The Politics of Steel: Nippon Steel’s Fight to Acquire U.S. Steel

Name: The Politics of Steel: Nippon Steel’s Fight to Acquire U.S. Steel
Start: 2025-02-20T15:00:00-08:00
End: 2025-02-20T16:30:00-08:00
Location: Morgan Lewis

Feb 20 2025, 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Free

Hybrid Event

Morgan Lewis

1 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94105 United States
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*Hybrid Event

Nippon Steel made headlines last month when then-President Joe Biden blocked its attempted $15 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel after the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States failed to reach a consensus on the deal’s security risks. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel have filed multiple lawsuits alleging wrongful interference with the acquisition.

Opponents of the acquisition who have expressed national security concerns include President Trump, many politicians from both sides of the aisle, the head of the United Auto Workers union and industry leader Cleveland-Cliffs, which had made an earlier unsolicited bid for US Steel. Proponents point to the benefits of a massive capital infusion into the struggling steel maker by a large stable company from a close American ally.

What went wrong with the acquisition, what are the next steps forward, and what sign does this send to foreign investors looking to invest in manufacturing in the US?

Reception generously hosted by Morgan Lewis with the speakers will follow immediately after the event.

Event Details:

Date & Time:
Thursday, February 20th at 3:00 – 4:30 P.M. PT
(Doors open at 2:30 P.M.)

Venue:
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP | One Market, Spear Street Tower, San Francisco, CA 94105
*Best Entryway: 55 Spear Street

Agenda
3:00-3:05 Opening Remarks, Nancy Yamaguchi | Partner, Morgan Lewis
3:05-3:15 Kenneth J. Nunnenkamp | Partner, Morgan Lewis
3:15-3:25 Michael Beeman | Author, Lecturer & Former US Trade Official (Trade, Economics, Political Affairs)
3:25-3:45 Panel Discussion moderated by Larry Greenwood | Board Chair, Japan Society of Northern California & Senior Advisor, BowerGroupAsia
3:45-3:50 Closing Remarks, Steve Pollock | President, Japan Society of Northern California
3:50-4:30 Networking Reception hosted by Morgan Lewis

Admission:
FREE!

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The Microsoft Teams meeting information will be sent in a registration confirmation email.

Venue and Networking Reception Generously Hosted by

Our Amazing Speakers:

Kenneth J. Nunnenkamp | Partner, Morgan Lewis
Ken Nunnenkamp represents clients in international trade and national security matters before United States federal courts and government agencies, including the US departments of State, Commerce, Homeland Security, Defense, and Treasury. Ken is the leader of the Morgan Lewis CFIUS working group. His practice involves internal investigations and disclosures, including voluntary disclosures and responding to government demands, as well as federal court defense against government actions. He also advises on compliance counseling and training, transactional due diligence–including both domestic and cross-border transactions–and statutory submissions to US government agencies.

Michael Beeman | Author, Lecturer & Former US Trade Official (Trade, Economics, Political Affairs)
Dr. Beeman served as a senior trade official at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative for over 16 years, most recently as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea and APEC from 2017-23 during which he led the negotiation for the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement and the renegotiation of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. From 2023-24, he was a Visiting Scholar and Lecturer at Stanford University. He received his DPhil in Politics from the University of Oxford in 1998 and is the author of Walking Out: America’s New Trade Policy in the Asia-Pacific and Beyond (2024).

MC & Moderator:

Larry Greenwood | Board Chair, Japan Society of Northern California & Senior Advisor, BowerGroupAsia

Larry Greenwood is a consultant advising on government relations and international economic policy, with expertise in trade, finance, development, and Asia. Larry was a career diplomat from 1976 to 2006 and served in a variety of positions in the State Department in Washington, D.C., and at U.S. embassies in Manila, Dakar, Tokyo, and Singapore. After retiring from the Foreign Service, he worked as vice president at the Asian Development Bank in Manila, Philippines, where he oversaw loan and grant operations in East and Southeast Asia and the Pacific Island countries, and as Senior Managing Director for government relations in Asia for MetLife based in Tokyo. After moving to the Bay Area in 2015 he joined the BowerGroupAsia and served as President of the Japan Society of Northern California from 2016-2019.