According to the Japanese Ministry of Trade (METI), overall demand for Japanese crude steel in the third quarter of the current year is expected to total 26.36 million mt, up 0.9 percent from the previous quarter and increasing by 0.6 percent compared to the third quarter of last year.
Total demand for Japanese finished steel and semi-finished steel products, including exports, is expected to reach 24.04 million mt in the third quarter, up 4.2 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter and declining by 0.2 percent compared to the same quarter of 2015. Of the estimated third quarter demand, exports are expected to account for 8.25 million mt, increasing by 1.3 percent from the second quarter and down 1.6 percent on year-on-year basis.
Meanwhile, of the total demand in the July-September period, 19.26 million mt is expected to be for ordinary steel, decreasing by 0.9 percent year on year and increasing by 4.4 percent compared to the previous quarter, while 4.78 million mt of demand is expected to be for special steel, up 2.7 percent year on year and increasing by 3.2 percent from the estimated data for the previous quarter.