In January this year, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet shipments were down by 1.5 percent compared to the previous month and up by 3.8 percent from 619,675 mt recorded in the same month of 2025, amounting to 643,106 metric tons, according to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) data. In the given month, 76.1 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 23.9 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled plate and sheet production amounted to 629,529 mt, down by 4.7 percent month on month and up by 1.4 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in January Japan’s hot rolled strip shipments amounted to 1.14 million mt, moving down by 14.1 percent from the previous month and by 3.2 percent year on year. 22.4 percent of shipments were made to the domestic market, while the remaining 77.6 percent were made to the export markets. In the given month, Japan’s hot rolled strip production amounted to 1.26 million mt, down by 0.3 percent month on month and by 3.8 percent year on year.