en.Wedoany.com Reported - Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance officially announced on July 3, 2026, the imposition of provisional anti-dumping duties on "nickel-based alloy stainless steel cold-rolled sheets and stainless steel strips" originating from mainland China and Taiwan. The measure takes effect from July 9, 2026, and will remain in force until November 8, a period of four months. Among these, the highest duty rate for mainland Chinese companies is 42.1%, while the rate range for Taiwanese companies is 3.86% to 20.71%.
This anti-dumping investigation originated in May 2025, when four Japanese steel companies, including Nippon Steel and Nippon Yakin Kogyo, jointly filed a complaint with the Japanese government, alleging that nickel-containing cold-rolled stainless steel products from mainland China and Taiwan were being exported at unfairly low prices, causing material injury to Japan's domestic industry. Japan's Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry officially launched the investigation on July 22, 2025.
The investigation results show that the selling prices of the products in question in the Japanese market were 20% to 40% lower than their local market prices in mainland China and Taiwan. Japanese authorities have preliminarily determined that dumping of the above products has occurred and has caused injury to Japan's domestic stainless steel industry. Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Ryosei Akazawa, had previously stated that a provisional tariff of approximately 45% would be imposed on products from mainland China and approximately 21% on products from Taiwan.
In terms of duty rate application, the dumping margin for Taiwan's major stainless steel producer YUSCO was determined to be 3.86%, resulting in a lower applicable rate; Walsin Lihwa was determined to have a margin of 20.71%. On the mainland Chinese side, major exporters such as TISCO and Guangdong Yongjin face the highest rate of 42.1%. According to data from Japan's Ministry of Finance, nickel-based alloy stainless steel cold-rolled sheets are widely used in industrial fields such as daily necessities and train carriages. Between 2022 and 2024, imports of cold-rolled stainless steel coils/sheets from mainland China to Japan increased from 53,767 tons to 75,481 tons, while imports from Taiwan slightly decreased from 52,307 tons to 47,932 tons. However, the share of both in Japan's domestic demand showed an upward trend.
The implementation of this provisional anti-dumping duty comes amid rising global trade protectionism. Following the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Australia, Japan became the fourth economy to impose additional trade restrictions on Chinese steel in July 2026. The deadline for the final ruling in Japan's anti-dumping investigation has been extended to November 21, 2026. If the involved manufacturers fail to provide effective arguments to overturn the dumping determination, this provisional measure will be converted into a definitive anti-dumping duty.
