According to the Japanese Ministry of Trade (METI), overall demand for Japanese crude steel in the first quarter of the current year is expected to total 26.3 million mt, down 0.6 percent from the previous quarter and increasing by 1.8 percent compared to the first quarter of last year.
Total demand for Japanese finished steel and semi-finished steel products, including exports, is expected to amount to 23.82 million mt in the first quarter this year, down 1.4 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter and rising by 1.5 percent compared to the same quarter of 2016. Of the estimated first quarter demand, exports are expected to account for 8.33 million mt, decreasing by 1.9 percent from the fourth quarter last year and up 0.4 percent on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, of the total demand in the January-March period, 18.87 million mt is expected to be for ordinary steel, increasing by one percent year on year and decreasing by 1.6 percent compared to the previous quarter, while 4.95 million mt of demand is expected to be for special steel, up 3.2 percent year on year and decreasing by 0.7 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter.