According to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (METI), Japan's demand for crude steel in the July-September 2026 fiscal year quarter is expected to reach 20.18 million tons, an increase of 1.3 percent year-on-year, but a decrease of 2.1 percent compared to the estimated result of the previous quarter.
METI forecasts that total steel demand in Japan, including exports, will amount to 18.05 million tons for the period, down 3.1% year-on-year, but growing 1.1% quarter-on-quarter.
Total demand for conventional steel is expected to be 14.23 million tons, down 3% year-on-year but up 0.9% quarter-on-quarter, while special steel demand is forecast at 3.82 million tons, down 3.5% year-on-year and up 2% year-on-year compared to the previous quarter.
Construction conditions remain difficult
Domestic steel demand in Japan is expected to reach 12 million tons in the July-September quarter, down 1.3 percent year-on-year but up 0.8 percent quarter-on-quarter.
In the construction sector, labor shortages and increased material costs will continue to put pressure on demand. Although public works budgets remain high, demand for civil engineering is expected to increase only slightly year-on-year due to higher costs of materials and labor, while demand from the building construction segment is projected to decrease.
Meanwhile, demand from the automotive sector is expected
