By David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Trevor Hunnicutt and Tim Kelly WASHINGTON/TOKYO (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to block Nippon Steel's $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel cast a shadow over Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit to Japan on Tuesday for farewell meetings with Washington's most important ally in Asia.

The foreign ministers of Japan and the United States said their countries' ties were stronger than ever on Tuesday, even after Japan's prime minister called U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to block Nippon Steel's $14.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken lauded the close economic and security partnership between the US and Japan after a controversial move by US President Joe Biden to label Japan’s Nippon Steel Corp. as a national security risk.