According to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Association, steel product orders including specialty steels booked by domestic steel consuming sectors in June this year amounted to 6.39 million metric tons, increasing by 17.65 percent compared to May 2009 and down 23.65 percent year on year.
In June 2009, steel products orders in Japan, including specialty steels booked by the domestic construction sector, increased by 3.97 percent compared to May, to 813,511 metric tons, while the year-on-year decrease was 32 percent. Meanwhile, steel product orders booked by the Japanese automotive sector reached 867,721 metric tons, increasing by 22 percent compared to May and down 36 percent year on year, while Japan's shipbuilding industry booked 475,651 metric tons of steel products during the period in question, up 11.15 percent month on month and 3.24 percent year on year.
