Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal : Japan steel industry head wants to see Japan excluded from U.S. import curb

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's steel industry wants the country to be excluded from any U.S. import curbs as steel from Japan poses no threat to the U.S. national security, the head of the steel federation said on Tuesday.

Japan's steel industry said last week that the U.S. Commerce Department's proposal to President Donald Trump to impose curbs on steel imports violated the principles of free trade, calling for Washington to make a careful and appropriate decision.

"Ideally, we want the U.S. to avoid imposing any import restrictions on steel," Japan Iron and Steel Federation Chairman Kosei Shindo told a news conference.

"But in the worst scenario under which U.S. takes actions to curb imports, we want Japan to be excluded as we only export products that are needed for the U.S. economy and are not easily made in the U.S., giving no threat to U.S. national security," he said.

(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Kim Coghill)