In December last year, Japanese crude steel production was up by 3.6 percent compared to the previous month and fell by 3.3 percent compared to December 2019, totaling 7.53 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF).

Meanwhile, in the given month Japan’s pig iron production totaled 5.64 million metric tons, rising by 9.9 percent compared to the previous month and down by 6.2 percent year on year.

In 2020, the country’s pig iron output stood at 61.6 million metric tons, down by 17.8 percent, while its crude steel production came to 83.1 million metric tons, falling by 16.2 percent, both on year-onyear basis.