In earlier talks, Japan offered to increase imports of US agricultural goods and review its “non-tariff trade barriers” to American car sales to respond to the concerns of the Trump administration. In addition, the government is mulling to collaborate with the US to secure supply chains of rare earth magnets and semiconductors.

The deadline for consummating the deal between U.S. Steel and Japan-based Nippon Steel is less than a week-and-a-half away, but hardly any more details of it have been made public since Donald Trump’s triumphal visit to West Mifflin late last month.