JISF: Crude steel output in Japan to increase in 2019
The Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF) said that due to of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, local steel demand was strong in Japan's construction industry, and natural disaster did not affect Japan so much, expecting that the crude steel output will be increased this year.
Due to the natural disaster and production system problems last year, Japanese crude steel output fell by 0.3% to the lowest level in recent 9 years. The JISF thought that there was a small chance to meet the same natural disaster this year. It expected that the output of crude steel will be risen in 2019.
Japanese steel exports fell by 4.2% to 36.5 million tons roughly in 2018 year on year, especially those to the US dropped by 19.6% year on year as Trump administration has decided to impose a 25% tariff on imported steel and aluminum from March 2018.
