# Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Flat Products From Japan: Preliminary Results and Rescission, in Part, of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2024
**AGENCY:**
Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
**SUMMARY:**
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily finds that one of the two producers/exporters of hot-rolled steel flat products (hot-rolled steel) from Japan, sold subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value during the period of review (POR) October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024. Additionally, we are rescinding this review, in part, with respect to one company.
**DATES:**
Applicable April 10, 2026.
**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:**
Jack Zhao or Myrna Lobo, AD/CVD Operations, Office VII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1396 and (202) 482-2371, respectively.
**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:**
**Background**
Commerce is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on hot-rolled steel from Japan in accordance with section 751(a)(1)(B) of Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). [^1] Commerce initiated this administrative review of the *Order* on November 14, 2024, covering 15 producers and/or exporters. [^2] On January 2, 2025, we selected Nippon Steel Corporation (NSC) [^3] and Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (Tokyo Steel) as the mandatory respondents. [^4]
[^1]*See Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Flat Products from Australia, Brazil, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Netherlands, the Republic of Turkey, and the United Kingdom: Amended Final Affirmative Antidumping Determinations for Australia, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Turkey and Antidumping Duty Orders,* 81 FR 67962 (October 3, 2016) ( *Order* ).
[^2]*See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews,* 89 FR 89955 (November 14, 2024).
[^3] NSC is a single entity comprised of the following companies: Nippon Steel Corporation; Nippon Steel Nisshin Co., Ltd.; and Nippon Steel Trading Corporation. *See Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Flat Products from Japan: Notice of Final Results of Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review,* 84 FR 46713 (September 5, 2019).
[^4]*See* Memorandum, “Respondent Selection,” dated January 2, 2025. After the issuance of these preliminary results of review, we intend to collect additional information from Tokyo Steel.
On December 9, 2024, Commerce tolled certain deadlines in this administrative proceeding by 90 days. [^5] On September 10, 2025, in accordance with section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(1), we extended the deadline for the preliminary results of this review until January 29, 2026. [^6] Due to the lapse in appropriations and Federal Government shutdown, on November 14, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceeding by 47 days. [^7] Additionally, due to a backlog of documents that were electronically filed via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS) during the Federal Government shutdown, on November 24, 2025, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceeding by an additional 21 days. [^8] Accordingly, the deadline for the preliminary results is now April 7, 2026.
[^5]*See* Memorandum, “Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,” dated December 9, 2024.
[^6]*See* Memorandum, “Extension of Deadline for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2023-2024,” dated September 10, 2025.
[^7]*See* Memorandum, “Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the Federal Government,” dated November 14, 2025.
[^8]*See* Memorandum, “Tolling of All Case Deadlines,” dated November 24, 2025.
For a detailed description of the events that followed the initiation of this review, *see* the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. [^9] The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via ACCESS. ACCESS is available to registered users at *https://access.trade.gov.* In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed at *https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.*
[^9]*See* Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Results of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Reviews: Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Flat Products from Japan; 2023-2024,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
**Scope of the Order**
The merchandise covered by the *Order* is hot-rolled steel from Japan. For a complete description of the scope of the *Order, see* the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. [^10]
[^10]*Id.*
**Methodology**
Commerce is conducting this administrative review in accordance with section 751(a) of the Act. Export price and constructed export price were calculated in accordance with section 772 of the Act. Normal value is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, *see* the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is attached as an appendix to this notice.
**Rescission of Administrative Review, in Part**
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), Commerce will rescind an administrative review, in whole or in part, if the parties that requested a review withdraw the request within 90 days of the date of publication of the notice of initiation. On February 12, 2025, the petitioners withdrew their request for review in part, with respect to certain companies. [^11] Because other parties also requested reviews of certain companies, we are not rescinding the reviews of all companies in the petitioners' withdrawal request. The petitioners also withdrew their review request of JFE Shoji Trade America JFE. [^12]
[^11] The petitioners are: Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., Nucor Corporation, SSAB Enterprises, LLC, Steel Dynamics, Inc., and United States Steel Corporation. *See* Petitioners' Letter, “Partial Withdrawal of Request for Administrative Review,” dated February 12, 2025 (Petitioners' Letter of Withdrawal).
[^12]*Id.*
Because the withdrawal request is timely filed and no other party requested a review of this company, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), Commerce is rescinding this review of the *Order* with respect to JFE Shoji Trade America.
**Review-Specific Rate for Non-Examined Companies**
The Act and Commerce's regulations do not address the establishment of a weighted average dumping margin to be applied to companies not selected for individual examination when Commerce limits its examination in an administrative review pursuant to section 777A(c)(2) of the Act. Generally, Commerce looks to section 735(c)(5) of the Act, which provides instructions for calculating the all-others rate in a less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation, for guidance when calculating the weighted-average dumping margin for companies which were not selected for individual examination in an administrative review. Under section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, the all-others rate is normally “an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding any zero or *de minimis* margins, and any margins determined entirely {on the basis of facts available}.” Therefore, because the rate calculated for Tokyo Steel in this administrative review is a zero, consistent with section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act, for the companies not selected for individual examination in this review we are preliminarily assigning the most recent above- *de minimis rate* calculated in this proceeding as the review-specific rate, *i.e.,* 13.07 percent.
**Preliminary Results**
We preliminarily determine the following estimated weighted-average dumping margins for the period October 1, 2023, through September 30, 2024:
[^13] This rate is also applicable to Nippon Steel & Sumikin Logistics Co., Ltd. for whom a review was initiated and NSC identified as its wholly owned subsidiary. *See* NSC's February 27, 2025 Initial Section C questionnaire response at C-41.
| Producer/exporter | Weighted- |
| --- | --- |
| Nippon Steel Corporation/Nippon Steel Nisshin Co., Ltd./Nippon Steel Trading Corporation | 13.07 |
| Tokyo Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd | 0.00 |
| | |
| JFE Steel Corporation; JFE Shoji Trade Corporation; JFE Shoji Corporation | 13.07 |
| Honda Trading Corporation | 13.07 |
| Marubeni-Itochu Steel Inc | 13.07 |
| Tetsusho Kayaba Corporation | 13.07 |
| Toyo Corporation | 13.07 |
**Disclosure**
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis performed to interested parties for these preliminary results within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
**Public Comment**
Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c), we will notify parties of the briefing schedule at a later date. [^14] Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for filing case briefs. [^15] Interested parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities. [^16]
[^14]*See* 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(ii).
[^15]*See* 19 CFR 351.309(d); *see also Administrative Protective Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,* 88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29, 2023) ( *APO and Service Final Rule* ).
[^16]*See* 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2)(iii) and (d)(2)(iii), we request that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a public, executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs. [^17] Further, we request that interested parties limit their executive summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to use the executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that will accompany the final results in this administrative review. We request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f). [^18]
[^17] We use the term “issue” here to describe an argument that Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
[^18]*See APO and Service Final Rule.*
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, filed electronically via ACCESS, by 5 p.m. Eastern time, within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain: (1) the party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants and whether any participant is a foreign national; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the respective case briefs. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce will inform interested parties of the scheduled date for the hearing. [^19]
[^19]*See* 19 CFR 351.310(d).
All submissions, including case and rebuttal briefs, as well as hearing requests, should be filed via ACCESS. [^20] An electronically filed hearing request must be received successfully in its entirety in ACCESS, by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the established deadline.
[^20]*See* 19 CFR 351.303.
Commerce intends to issue the final results of this administrative review, including the results of its analysis of the issues raised in any case or rebuttal briefs, no later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice, unless extended. [^21]
[^21]*See* section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act; and 19 CFR 351.213(h).
**Assessment Rates**
Upon completion of the administrative review, Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. If the weighted-average dumping margins for NSC and Tokyo Steel are not zero or *de minimis* ( *i.e.,* less than 0.5 percent) in the final results of this review, we will calculate importer-specific *ad valorem* assessment rates for the merchandise based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the examined sales made during the POR to each importer and the total entered value of those same sales, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). Where an importer-specific *ad valorem* assessment rate is zero or *de minimis* in the final results of review, we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties in accordance with 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2). If NSC's and Tokyo Steel's weighted-average dumping margins are zero or *de minimis* in the final results of review, we will instruct CBP not to assess duties on any of its entries in accordance with the *Final Modification for Reviews, i.e.,* “{w}here the weighted-average margin of dumping for the exporter is determined to be zero or *de minimis,* no antidumping duties will be assessed.” [^22]
[^22]*See Antidumping Proceedings: Calculation of the Weighted-Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate in Certain Antidumping Proceedings; Final Modification,* 77 FR 8101, 8102 (February 14, 2012) ( *Final Modification for Reviews* ).
For entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by NSC or Tokyo Steel for which the producer did not know its merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries at the all-others rate if there is no rate for the intermediate company (or companies) involved in the transaction. [^23]
[^23]*See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: Assessment of Antidumping Duties,* 68 FR 23954 (May 6, 2003).
For the companies which were not selected for individual review, we will assign an assessment rate based on the review-specific rate, calculated as noted in the “Review-Specific Rate for Non-Examined Companies” section, above. The final results of this review shall be the basis for the assessment of antidumping duties on entries of merchandise covered by the final results of this review and for future deposits of estimated duties, where applicable. [^24]
[^24]*See* section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act.
Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the *Federal Register* . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( *i.e.,* within 90 days of publication).
For the company for which this review is being rescinded, in part, JFE Shoji Trade America, Commerce will instruct CBP to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. Antidumping duties shall be assessed at rates equal to the cash deposit rate for estimated antidumping duties required at the time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(c)(1)(i). With respect to JFE Shoji Trade America, Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of this notice in the *Federal Register* .
**Cash Deposit Requirements**
The following deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the notice of final results of this administrative review for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) the cash deposit rate for each specific company listed above will be that established in the final results of this review, except if the rate is less than 0.50 percent and, therefore, *de minimis* within the meaning of 19 CFR 351.106(c)(1), in which case the cash deposit rate will be zero; (2) for previously investigated companies not participating in this review, the cash deposit will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently-completed segment of this proceeding in which the company participated; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, or the underlying investigation, but the manufacturer is, then the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recent segment for the manufacturer of the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other manufacturers or exporters will continue to be 5.58 percent, the all-others rate established in the less-than-fair-value investigation. [^25] These deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.
[^25]*See Order.*
**Notification to Importers**
This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping and/or countervailing duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping and/or countervailing duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.
**Notification to Interested Parties**
We are issuing and publishing these preliminary results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(d), (h) and 351.221(b)(4).
Dated: April 7, 2026.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
**Appendix**
**List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum**
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the *Order*
IV. Discussion of the Methodology
V. Currency Conversion
VI. Recommendation