According to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Association, steel product orders, including specialty steels, booked by domestic steel consuming sectors in Japan in June this year amounted to 7.12 million metric tons, decreasing by five percent compared to May and down one percent year on year.
In June this year, ordinary steel product orders in Japan booked by the domestic construction sector decreased by five percent month on month to 831,955 metric tons - up seven percent year on year, while steel product orders booked by the Japanese automotive sector, including specialty steel, amounted to 1.1 million metric tons, falling by eight percent as compared to May and up 25 percent year on year. Japan's shipbuilding industry booked 332,468 metric tons of ordinary steel products in June, declining by nine percent month on month and down 20 percent as compared to the same month of 2011.