According to the data released by the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japanese pig iron production in June this year totaled 5.09 million metric tons, decreasing by 29.8 percent year on year, and up 4.59 percent compared to May. Meanwhile, the country's crude steel production in June amounted to 6.88 million metric tons, down 33.6 percent year on year, increasing by 6.31 percent month on month.
In the first half of the year, Japan's pig iron production reached 28.84 million metric tons, decreasing by 34.6 percent, while crude steel production totaled 36.69 million metric tons, down 40.7 percent, both compared to the same period of the previous year.
In June Japan's steel section production amounted to 447,800 metric tons, down 36.9 percent, bar production to 800,100 metric tons, down 36.2 percent, wire rod output to 161,100 mt, down 19.3 percent, HR wide strip production to 2.77 million mt, down 30.4 percent, and cold rolled wide strip output to 1.36 million mt, down 31.6 percent, all compared to June 2008.