[Ferro-Alloys.com] Kyodo news agency reported that Japan Iron and Steel Union released on 19th that the crude steel output of Japan in 2019 was 98.428 million tons, a decrease of 4.3% compared with the previous year. Due to the epidemic, the demand declined obviously and lower than 100 million tons for the first time since 2009 (96.448 million tons) after the Lehman crisis. The iron and steel giants have to take response measures such as shut-down operation.

 

Affected by the epidemic, major car manufacturers once suspended domestic production and demand plummeted. In addition, the demand for the construction industry also continued to decline. The head of the Iron and Steel Union said that "the prospect of the epidemic is not clear, and the current severe situation has not changed", and the crude steel production in 2020 may be lower than that in 2019.