By David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Trevor Hunnicutt and Tim Kelly TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The foreign ministers of Japan and the United States said their countries' ties were stronger than ever on Tuesday,

The president said he was moving to protect national security in deciding the fate of the iconic Pennsylvania-based company, which became a contentious political issue in an election year.

Japan's prime minister on Monday urged Washington to dispel concerns that a decision by Joe Biden to block Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel could impact future investments. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said the veteran Democrat's decision had sparked worries over future Japanese investments in the world's largest economy.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted during a visit to Tokyo on Tuesday that ties with Japan were stronger than ever, days after President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel.

President Joe Biden has rejected the nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel.

President Joe Biden on Friday announced he has blocked the controversial $14.9 billion sale of US Steel to Japan's Nippon Steel, citing a strategic need to protect domestic industry.There was rare bipartisan agreement on the issue,

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argued President Biden is selling out to Big Labor by blocking the sale of U.S. Steel to Japanese-owned Nippon Steel. “The Biden administration will leave America’s core economic and national-security interests less secure than it found them,