In January this year, Japanese crude steel production fell 2.5 percent month on month, following a rising trend of three months in a row.
According to the data released by the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japanese pig iron production in January this year totaled 6.79 million metric tons, increasing by 23.4 percent year on year and down 0.8 percent compared to December 2009. Meanwhile, the country's crude steel production in January amounted to 8.72 million metric tons, up 36.8 percent year on year and decreasing by 2.5 percent month on month.
In January, Japan's steel section production amounted to 379,100 metric tons, down 4.1 percent, its bar production came to 634,500 metric tons, down 2.6 percent, its wire rod output was 158,300 mt, up 0.5 percent, heavy plate output reached one million metric tons, up eight percent, HR wide strip production was 3.88 million mt, up two percent, CR wide strip output amounted to 1.92 million mt, down 0.3 percent, galvanized sheet production totaled 1.13 million metric tons, up 2.4 percent and welded pipe output was 1.13 million metric tons, increasing by one percent, all compared to December 2009.
