According to a demand survey carried out by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), demand for Japanese steel, including exports, is expected to reach 24.22 million mt in the first quarter of 2011, up 0.2 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter and down 0.3 percent compared to the Q1 2010 data.
Of the total demand, 19.09 million mt is expected to be for ordinary steel, down 1.9 percent year on year and up 0.1 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter, while 5.13 million mt of demand is expected to be for special steel, up 6.3 percent year on year and up 0.6 percent from the estimated data for Q4 2010.
Of the 24.22 million mt of estimated Q1 2011 demand, exports are expected to account for 8.86 million mt, down 0.9 percent year on year and up 3.4 percent compared with the estimate for the previous quarter.
Meanwhile, demand for Japanese raw steel, including exports, equivalent to shipments in the first quarter of 2011 will increase by 1.4 percent year on year, but decrease 3.2 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter, totaling 26.88 million mt.
As a result, METI puts Japan's crude steel production at a total of 110.08 million mt for the whole of the fiscal year 2010-11 ending on March 31, up 14.1 percent from the previous fiscal year.