In January this year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet shipments increased by 7.48 percent compared to December and were down 0.36 percent on year-on-year basis, amounting to 888,747 metric tons. 78 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 22 percent were made to the export markets, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In January of the current year, Japan's hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 924,669 mt, up 13.77 percent month on month and up 3.70 percent year on year.
In January, Japan's hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.45 million mt, down 1.56 percent from December and up 1.68 percent year on year. 30 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 70 percent were made to the export markets. In January of the current year, Japan's hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.52 million mt, up 6.29 percent month on month and down 3.21 percent year on year.