Japan Major 5 Steels’ Raw Steel Output Rises by 0.7% in August

Raw steel output by Japanese major 5 integrated steel makers increased by 0.7% to 7.692 million tonnes in August from a year earlier when they kept high level output to meet strong demand for high valued products at home and abroad. The weight of the output by the 5 makers decreased by 1.2 percentage points to 75.5% for Japanese total output.Nippon Steel’s output in August increased by 1.0% to 2.824 million tonnes compared with same month last year. Output reduction in Yawata works due to the fire at coke plant was covered by operation in other works. The Kimitsu works’ output increased by 4.5% to 0.9 million tonnes and the output at Nagoya works increased by 14.4% to 0.596 million tonnes while Yawata’s output decreased by 14.7% to 0.284 million tonnes.JFE Steel’s output decreased by 0.2% to 2.637 million tonnes in August from a year earlier. The West Japan works’ output decreased by 0.5% to 1.876 million tonnes from reduction at Fukuyama works and output at East Japan works increased by 0.7% to 0.761 million tonnes for the firm increased production at Chiba works.Sumitomo Metal Industries’ output increased by 2.6% to 1.188 million tonnes in August from same month at last year when the output at Kashima steel works increased by 7.3% to 0.724 million tonnes and output at Wakayama Steel works increased by 1.1% to 0.356 million tonnes and at Sumitomo Metals Kokura decreased by 16.1% to 0.104 million tonnes from a year earlier.However, the steel demand shows sign to decrease recently. Satoshi Aoki, chairman of Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, commented about global financial instability at a press conference, held on Thursday. Aoki made a forecast that the sales of vehicles in North America should decrease to less than 14 million and sales in Japan will be around 5.3 million in 2008.