According to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japan's crude steel production totaled around 7.4 million tons in July this year, slightly increasing by 0.8% compared to the previous month and by 0.9% from the year-ago level.

During the period, Japan produced a total of roughly 5.5 million tons of pig iron, a month-on-month increase of 4.5% and a year-on-year hike of 4%.

In the first seven months of this year, Japan produced 51.2 million tons of crude steel, a year-on-year decline of nearly 4%. Pig iron output was 37.1 million tons, down by 3.2% year on year.