According to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Association, steel product orders, including specialty steels, booked by domestic steel consuming sectors in Japan in January this year amounted to 7.4 million metric tons, decreasing by 3.47 percent compared to December 2009 and up 61.47 percent year on year.
In January, steel product orders in Japan, including specialty steels, booked by the domestic construction sector increased by 4.42 percent compared to December, to 843,756 metric tons, while a year-on-year increase of 3.42 percent was witnessed. Meanwhile, steel product orders booked by the Japanese automotive sector continued their rise in January, reaching 1.2 million metric tons, up 4.7 percent compared to December and up 132 percent year on year. Finally, Japan's shipbuilding industry booked 430,430 metric tons of steel products during the month in question, down 19.3 percent month on month and declining by 14.79 percent year on year.
