By David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis, Trevor Hunnicutt and Tim Kelly TOKYO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The foreign ministers of Japan and the United States said their countries' ties were stronger than ever on Tuesday,

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted during a visit to Tokyo on Tuesday that ties with Japan were stronger than ever, days after President Joe Biden blocked Nippon Steel's takeover of US Steel.

The president said he was moving to protect national security in deciding the fate of the iconic Pennsylvania-based company, which became a contentious political issue in an election year.