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“The Japanese steel industry will carefully study this decision and, after discussing with the Japanese government officials, determine an appropriate course of action,” the Japan Iron & Steel Federation (JISF) said in a statement late last week.
Last Thursday, the Thai government decided to extend anti-dumping duties for a number of HRC and sheet products, including plate, from 14 countries.
The duties range from as low as 0% up to 128.11% depending on each foreign steelmaker, and are effective from May 23 this year until May 22, 2019.
Besides Japan, duties are applied to cargoes shipped from Algeria, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, South Africa, Taiwan, Ukraine and Venezuela.
The duties were initially imposed in May 2003, extended for five years on May 23 2009, and then extended for another year until May 22 this year.
“The Japanese steel industry has claimed during the sunset review proceedings that the revocation of the anti-dumping measures on flat hot-rolled steel in coils and not in coils from Japan is not likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to the Thai steel industry,” JISF said.
“Nonetheless the government of Thailand has given the highest priority to the protection of the Thai steel industry in this sunset review, and decided to continue anti-dumping measures which have been imposed [for] more than ten years,” it added.
Weilyn Loo in Singapore contributed to this article.