Steel Demand for Construction to Keep around 22.5 Million Tons in Fiscal 2014

According to blast furnace steelmakers sources, steel demand of this fiscal year for construction in Japan will be around 22.5 million tons, it is the same level as the last fiscal year. Though demand in April-June drops compared with January-March due to seasonal factors in civil engineering field, slowdown of freight movement and inventory growth in architecture field caused by exteriorization of the gap between groundbreaking plan and steel processing volume, it is expected to improve in and after July on the background of infrastructure building, associated with earthquake disaster reconstruction, national land toughening, redevelopment in areas around Tokyo.