Japan has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization over a U.S. antidumping measure against Japanese surface-treated steel sheet exports, and asked Washington to hold talks on the issue under WTO auspices, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said.

Under the WTO's dispute-settlement system, the two countries are to hold talks next month.

Japan suspects the U.S. measure violates the antidumping accord of the Geneva-based trade body, the ministry said.

Washington decided in November 2000 to maintain antidumping charges on Japanese exports of steel used in automobile bodies, on the basis of a review carried out in violation of the WTO pact.

The accord requires a country to collect sufficient evidence before starting the review process of its antidumping action or basically let it expire in five years.

However, in September 1999 the United States began its review of the measure it imposed in August 1993 automatically and without any evidence, and has since maintained it, METI said.

Japan believes the U.S. standards for allowing an antidumping action to be dropped are too strict, as they basically presume the measure's necessity unless imports of the product concerned increase despite the surcharges.

Nisshin Steel in tieup

Steelmaker Nisshin Steel Co. and Spain's Acerinox S.A., the world's No. 3 steelmaker, will launch a technological tieup involving stainless steel projects for automobiles, sources said Wednesday.

The move is aimed at providing Japanese automakers that are expanding their operations in Europe and the United States with the same steel materials they use at home, the sources said.

Nisshin Steel, Japan's sixth-largest steelmaker and its top manufacturer of stainless steel plates, hopes to boost competitiveness in its main business through the tieup. In Japan, Nisshin Steel teams up with Nippon Steel Corp., Japan's biggest steelmaker, in handling stainless projects.

Nisshin Steel and the Spanish firm also plan to team up to launch new projects, develop products together and deal with environmental issues, the sources said.

They are also considering involving North American Stainless, an Acerinox subsidiary in the U.S., in the tieup to promote business with Japanese auto manufacturers operating in North America.

Nisshin Steel purchased about 178,000 shares in Acerinox late last year, increasing its stakes in the Spanish firm to 11 percent.

Nisshin Steel hopes to resume talks on a stalled plan to integrate stainless steel operations with Nippon Steel.

Nisshin Steel shelved the plan late last year due to falling revenues from businesses, excluding stainless products.