According to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Association, steel product orders booked by domestic steel consuming sectors in May this year amounted to 5.431 million metric tons, increasing by three percent compared to April 2009 and down 35 percent year on year.
In May 2009, steel products orders in Japan, including specialty steels booked by the domestic construction sector, decreased by three percent compared to April, to 782,400 metric tons, while the year-on-year decrease was 36 percent. Meanwhile, steel product orders booked by the Japanese automotive sector reached 711,350 metric tons, increasing by 14 percent compared to April and down 48 percent year on year, while Japan's shipbuilding industry booked 427,940 metric tons of steel products during the period in question, down 12 percent month on month and seven percent year on year.
