According to the Japanese Ministry of Trade (METI), overall demand for Japanese crude steel in the second quarter of the current year is expected to total 26.34 million mt, down 0.9 percent from the previous quarter and rising 0.9 percent compared to the second quarter of last year.
Total demand for Japanese finished steel and semi-finished steel products, including exports, is expected to amount to 23.32 million mt in the second quarter this year, down 2.2 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter and rising by 1.8 percent compared to the same quarter of 2017. Of the estimated second quarter demand, exports are expected to account for 7.76 million mt, falling by 1.4 percent from the first quarter this year and up 5.2 percent on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, of the total demand in the April-June period, 18.22 million mt is expected to be for ordinary steel, increasing by 2.4 percent year on year and falling by 3.3 percent compared to the previous quarter, while 5.10 million mt of demand is expected to be for special steel, down 0.4 percent year on year and increasing by two percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter.