Japan's steel output increases in June

Japan's crude steel production rose 2.5 percent year on year to 9.69 million metric tons in June, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said. On the other hand, crude steel output indicated a 2.4 percent decline compared to the previous month. For the first half of 2006, crude steel production reached 56.98 million metric tons, up 0.4 percent year on year.