Japanese steel industry bodies today called on the government to tighten rules to prevent evasion of anti-dumping duties, citing growing Chinese steel exports and the risk of transshipment through third countries or minimal processing to skirt tariffs. The Japan Iron and Steel Federation and other groups argued that, unlike many G20 peers, Japan lacks a formal anti-circumvention mechanism, forcing authorities to open new anti-dumping investigations to address workarounds—lengthening timelines and weakening deterrence. Tokyo has ongoing probes into hot-dip galvanized steel imports from China and South Korea and nickel-based stainless cold-rolled steel from China and Taiwan, but industry groups want specific anti-circumvention provisions included in upcoming fiscal reforms, plus more resources for trade investigations. The request follows a wave of global protection measures, with industry associations warning that without curbs on rerouting and slight reprocessing, the effectiveness of current Japanese duties could be diluted. Policymakers were asked to consider technical criteria, evidence standards, and time-bound procedures to accelerate findings. The push underscores persistent trade frictions in the steel market as export flows adjust to higher duties elsewhere.