"The Japanese steel industry is gratified that the U.S. steel industry has chosen not to appeal the decision of the U.S. Court of International Trade (CIT) upholding the March 2000 determination of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that imports of Japanese cold rolled steel did not injure the U.S. steel industry," Hidenori Tazawa, Chairman of the Japan Steel Information Center, said.

In the 1999 dumping case the ITC originally made a determination of no injury. The U.S. industry appealed that decision to the CIT, which asked the ITC to re-examine the case. The ITC still found no injury. The court affirmed this re-determination. The domestic industry did not file a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, ending the litigation.

"The fact that Japanese cold rolled steel has been fairly traded has now been reaffirmed," Mr. Tazawa continued. "We are pleased that after two reviews by both the ITC and the court over the course of a six-year case, our original position has been fully upheld. We hope that as a result of this experience the U.S. steel industry will refrain from seeking unjustified import restrictions in the future."

Prepared by Charles E. Butler & Associates, doing business as Japan Steel Information Center. The Center is registered with the U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C., under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as an agent of The Japan Iron & Steel Federation, Japan, a privately financed trade organization.