Japan Crude Steel Output Up 0.4 Pct in June

Tokyo, July 15 (Jiji Press)–Crude steel output in Japan in June increased 0.4 pct from a year earlier to 9,459,000 tons, marking the fourth consecutive year-on-year rise, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said Friday.

Crude steel production from converters climbed 2.1 pct year on year to 6,991,000 tons, the fourth straight rise, while production from electric furnaces was down 4.1 pct at 2,468,000 tons, falling for the fifth consecutive month, the industry group said.

The federation also said that Japan’s crude steel production in January-June rose 1.7 pct from the same period last year to 56,731,300 tons.

Production from converters rose 3.2 pct to 42,177,500 tons while that from electric furnaces decreased 2.6 pct to 14,553,800 tons.END