Japan's steel industry wants new govt to maximise use of nuclear power

FILE PHOTO: A production line of Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp.'s Kimitsu steel plant is pictured in Kimitsu, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, May 31, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon/File Photo

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's steel industry wants the new government to pursue an energy policy that features maximum use of nuclear power, Industry federation chief Eiji Hashimoto told a news conference on Friday.

Hashimoto, the chairman of the Japan Iron and Steel Federation, is also the president of the country's biggest steelmaker, Nippon Steel Corp.

The company will approach large domestic customers, such as automakers, to seek further increases in steel prices, Hashimoto added, as well as changes to a semi-annual price negotiation scheme in which prices are usually set after product shipment.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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