Japanese Steel Consumption to Increase to 79.5MT in F2007

Nippon Steel expects Japanese steel consumption increases to 79.48 million tonnes in fiscal 2007 started April, up by 180,000 tonnes from 79.3 million tonnes in fiscal 2006. Domestic consumption of common steel products is expected to increase to 64.27 million tonnes in fiscal 2007, up by 10,000 tonnes from fiscal 2006, and special steel products to increase to 15.21 million tonnes, up by 170,000 tonnes. The consumption for manufacturing industries is estimated to increase to 50.61 million tonnes, up by 610,000 tonnes.As for common steel products, Nippon Steel forecasts the consumption for building construction decreases to 27.33 million tonnes in fiscal 2007, down by 390,000 tonnes from fiscal 2006, when new housing starts and new non-housing start areas are expected to decrease in fiscal 2007 compared with previous year.Nippon Steel expects the consumption of common steel products for manufacturing industries increases to 36.94 million tonnes, up by 400,000 tonnes from fiscal 2006, when the amount of finished cars and knock-down sets keep high level. The firm forecasts the consumption for shipbuilding increases by 170,000 tonnes to 5.86 million tonnes and for automobile by 100,000 tonnes to 14.18 million tonnes.Nippon Steel’s raw steel output increased by 400,000 tonnes to 31.6 million tonnes at the parent company in fiscal 2006 over the previous year, which increased by 570,000 tonnes to 34.52 million tonnes on consolidated. The firm expects both outputs increase by approximately 1 million tonnes in fiscal 2007.