In October, Japanese iron and steel production resumed its upward trend, which had started in April this year but registered a slight decrease in September; meanwhile, the year-on-year comparisons indicate decreases as the global economic downturn only started to affect Japan's steel output in November 2008..
According to the data released by the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japanese pig iron production in October this year totaled 6.61 million metric tons, decreasing by 9.3 percent year on year, but up 9.3 percent compared to September. Meanwhile, the country's crude steel production in October amounted to 8.80 million metric tons, down 12.9 percent year on year, and increasing by 6.4 percent month on month.
In the first ten months of the year, Japan's pig iron production reached 53.44 million metric tons, decreasing by 27.3 percent, while crude steel production totaled 69.72 million metric tons, down 31.9 percent, both compared to the same period of the previous year.
In October, Japan's steel section production amounted to 442,400 metric tons, down 24.6 percent, its bar production came to 814,800 metric tons, down 11.2 percent, its wire rod output was 173,300 mt, down 16 percent, HR wide strip production was 3.73 million mt, down 23.9 percent, and CR wide strip output amounted to 1.84 million mt, down 10.8 percent, all compared to October 2008.
