Japan imposes provisional anti-dumping duty (3.6%-42.1%) on nickel-added cold-rolled stainless steel from China and Taiwan

Mechanism

Following a MOF/METI investigation opened 22 July 2025 into dumping of nickel-added cold-rolled stainless steel (HS headings around 7219/7220) from China and Taiwan, Japan imposed a four-month provisional anti-dumping duty by Cabinet Order, effective 9 July-8 November 2026. Rates are exporter-specific, ranging 3.6% to 42.1%; 42.1% is used here as the disclosed ceiling rate, not an average — see source for the full schedule (not itemised in the English-language release). A definitive determination is expected to follow the standard Japanese AD timeline after the provisional period.

Downstream implications

• Chinese and Taiwanese nickel-stainless exporters facing the top-of-range

rate (42.1%) are effectively priced out of the Japanese market for the duration of the provisional period.

• Japan has run a parallel provisional AD action on hot-dipped galvanized

steel coil/sheet/strip from Korea and China (METI, imposed August 2026) — a broader pattern of Japanese steel trade-remedy activity in mid-2026 worth tracking as a cluster.

Open questions

• Per-company rate schedule not confirmed from the English-language MOF/METI

releases (only the 3.6%-42.1% range is disclosed); a definitive-duty filing should follow once the investigation concludes.