According to the Japanese Ministry of Trade (METI), overall demand for Japanese crude steel in the third quarter of the current year is expected to total 26.29 million mt, up 0.5 percent from the previous quarter and decreasing 0.2 percent compared to the third quarter of last year.
Total demand for Japanese finished steel and semi-finished steel products, including exports, is expected to amount to 23.84 million mt in the third quarter this year, up 2.8 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter and falling by 1.6 percent compared to the same quarter of 2016. Of the estimated third quarter demand, exports are expected to account for 8.16 million mt, increasing by 1.3 percent from the second quarter this year and down 5.7 percent on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, of the total demand in the July-September period, 18.88 million mt is expected to be for ordinary steel, decreasing by 2.8 percent year on year and increasing by 3.5 percent compared to the previous quarter, while 4.98 million mt of demand is expected to be for special steel, up three percent year on year and increasing by 0.4 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter.