The United States said Monday it will exclude nine more Japanese steel products from hefty tariffs it has imposed since March, Japanese officials said.
The annual import amount of the Japanese products newly added to a list of products receiving exemptions totals some 20,000 tons, they said.
The latest step apparently reflect Japan's recent decision to put off the imposition of 100 percent retaliatory tariffs on U.S. steel imports.
The Japanese government initially planned to take the retaliatory action Tuesday but announced a postponement last week, saying Washington is considering exempting items in a "constructive" manner.