In 2012, Japanese crude steel production decreased 0.3 percent compared to the previous year, totaling 107.2 million mt, according to the data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF). In 2011, the country's crude steel output had declined by 1.8 percent compared to 2010.

In December 2012, Japanese crude steel production amounted to 8.57 million metric tons, up two percent year on year and rising by 0.7 percent month on month. Japanese crude steel production decreased in the last two months of the year compared to previous months, while the peak monthly output level in 2012 was recorded in March.

Meanwhile, the country's pig iron production in December 2012 totaled 6.7 million metric tons, increasing by two percent month on month and up 4.4 percent compared to the same month last year. In the whole of last year, the country's pig iron output stood at 81.4 million metric tons, rising by just 0.5 percent year on year.

Japan's steel product output tonnages in 2012: