A U.S. government panel is set to submit its recommendations this month on whether a Japanese takeover of U.S. Steel would threaten national security, with the fate of the $15 billion mega-merger in the balance.

Nippon Steel on Wednesday slammed the "inappropriate" influence of politics on its planned takeover of US Steel after a media report said President Joe Biden would block it."It is inappropriate that politics continue to outweigh true national security interests -- especially with the indispensable alliance between the US and Japan as the important foundation,

The fate of a $15 billion mega-merger between Japan’s Nippon Steel and US Steel hangs precariously in the balance, awaiting the decision of a US government panel reviewing the deal for potential national security risks.