Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), ChairmanKitano / For This Fiscal Year, Steel Demand on CrudeSteel Production Basis Likely to Be ‘Lower Than 90Million Tons’ / Made Downward Revision fromPrevious Estimate

摘要

Mr. Yoshihisa Kitano, JISF Chairman (and JFE Steel President), commented about thesteel demand for this fiscal year during a regular press conference held on September 26th.“Steel demand on a crude steel production basis will probably be lower than 90 milliontons.” Mr. Kitano had been estimating that steel demand will be ‘90-95 million tons’, so Mr.Kitano’s comment signified that he has made a downward revision to his estimate. Mr.Kitano pointed out that domestic demand has been struggling to grow in fields other thanthe automobile field. He also predicted that the supply/demand balance in the SoutheastAsian market will worsen due to such factors as the increase in steel exports from China.