Japan’s domestic steel product orders up 18 percent in May

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 May this year amounted to 7.47 million metric tons, decreasing by 3.2 percent compared to April and up 18 percent year on year.
 
In May this year, ordinary steel product orders in Japan booked by the domestic construction sector decreased by 8.3 percent month on month to 876,743 metric tons - up five percent year on year, while steel product orders booked by the Japanese automotive sector, including specialty steel, reached 1.2 million metric tons, rising by 13.5 percent as compared to April and up 88 percent year on year. Japan's shipbuilding industry booked 365,903 metric tons of ordinary steel products in May, declining by 4.6 percent month on month and down 11 percent as compared to the same month of 2011.