Posted on 22 Jul 2017
Japan’s crude steel output fell 4.3 percent in June from a year earlier to 8.39 million tonnes, marking the second straight month of year-on-year decline, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said.
Output, which is not seasonally-adjusted, decreased 6 percent from May. Demand for ordinary steel fell 7.4 percent on year to 6.32 million tonnes, while demand for specialty steel rose for a 14th month in a row to 2.07 million tonnes, up 6.5 percent from a year earlier. Crude steel output in January-June rose 0.5 percent from the same period a year ago to 52.31 million tonnes, the data showed. Output in April-June, however, fell 0.5 percent on year to 26.08 million tonnes. Japan’s crude steel output is expected to fall 0.2 percent in the July-September quarter from a year earlier, as maintenance and problems at some mills will cap production and reduce exports, the government said two weeks ago.
That comes despite recent signs that a recovery in the world’s third-largest economy is gaining pace due to solid factory output and exports.
