The United States International Trade Commission (ITC) today made an affirmative final determination that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of imports of certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan that the U.S. Department of Commerce has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value.

The affirmative determination resulted as follows. Chairman Lynn M. Bragg, Vice Chairman Marcia E. Miller, and Commissioners Carol T. Crawford, Jennifer A. Hillman, and Stephen Koplan found that the domestic industry is materially injured by reason of subject imports. Commissioner Thelma J. Askey found that an industry in the United States is threatened with material injury.

The ITC's vote in this final phase antidumping duty investigation was held on June 11, 1999, under section 735(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930. As a result of the affirmative determination, the U.S. Department of Commerce will direct the U.S. Customs Service to impose antidumping duties on these imports.

Vice Chairman Miller and Commissioners Crawford, Hillman, and Koplan made negative determinations with regard to critical circumstances in this investigation. Chairman Bragg made an affirmative critical circumstances determination in this investigation. As a result, the antidumping duty order Commerce will issue will not apply retroactively to imports of certain hot-rolled steel products from Japan that entered the United States prior to February 19, 1999, the date of the Department of Commerce's affirmative preliminary determination.

The Commission's public report Certain Hot-Rolled Steel Products from Japan (Investigation No. 731-TA-807 (Final), USITC Publication 3202, June 1999) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigation.

Copies may be obtained after July 9, 1999, by calling 202-205-1809 or from the Office of the Secretary, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Requests may also be made by fax to 202-205-2104.

Product Description: The product subject to this investigation consists of hot-rolled flat-rolled carbon-quality steel products of a rectangular shape, of a width of 0.5 inch or greater, neither clad, plated, nor coated with metal and whether or not painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or other nonmetallic substances, in coils (whether or not in successively superimposed layers) regardless of thickness, or in straight lengths, of a thickness less than 4.75 mm and of a width measuring at least 10 times the thickness. This excludes universal mill plate. Specifically included are vacuum degassed, fully stabilized steels (interstitial-free), high strength low alloy steels, and the substrate for motor lamination steels. Steels that are regarded as alloy steels are excluded from the investigation. Certain hot-rolled steel products are primarily classified in HTS headings 7208, 7210, 7211, and 7212. Also, certain subject merchandise, including IF, HSLA, and motor lamination substrate steels, may be classified in HTS headings 7225 and 7226.

Status of Proceedings:
1. Type of investigation:  Final antidumping.
2. Petitioners:  Bethlehem Steel Corp.; U.S. Steel Group (USX Corp.); Ispat/Inland; LTV Steel
     Co.; National Steel Corp.; California Steel Industries, Inc.; Gallatin Steel Co.; Geneva
     Steel Co.; Gulf States Steel, Inc.; IPSCO, Inc.; Steel Dynamics, Inc.; Weirton Steel
     Corp.; Independent Steelworkers Union; and the United Steelworkers of America. 
3. Investigation instituted by USITC:  September 30, 1998.
4. Hearing:  May 4, 1999.
5. USITC vote:  June 11, 1999.
6. USITC notification of Department of Commerce:  June 18, 1999.

U.S. Industry:
1. Number of U.S. firms reporting production of hot-rolled carbon steel products: 24.
2. Production volume is concentrated in Alabama,Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, 
     Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.
3. Employment of production and related workers in U.S. mills in 1998:  32,885.
4. U.S. producers' U.S. shipments (excluding exports)  in 1998:
     Including captive consumption, 63,843,220 short tons (valued at $19.0 billion)
     Open market shipments, 21,780,520 short tons (valued at $7.2 billion).
5. U.S. apparent consumption in 1998:
     Including captive consumption, 75,251,116 short tons (valued at $22.2 billion).
     Open market consumption, 33,188,416 short tons (valued at $10.5 billion).
6. Ratio of quantity of Japanese imports to U.S. apparent consumption in 1998:
     Including captive consumption, 3.6 percent.
     Open market shipments, 8.1 percent.

U.S.Imports:
1. Quantity of subject imports in 1998: 2,684,756 short tons.
2. Value of subject imports in 1998:  $801,295,000.