According to the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), Japan's crude steel production totaled around 7.2 million tons in March, increasing by 12.6% compared to the previous month and slightly rising by 0.2% from the same month a year ago. The year-on-year increase was the first in the past 13 months.

In the fiscal year 2024/25, Japan's crude steel production amounted to 82.95 million tons, sliding by 4.5% compared to the previous year, marking the third consecutive yearly drop. The decrease was mainly due to weak demand from the construction and manufacturing sectors, such as automobiles, as well as slowed steel exporting activities caused by surging exports from China.

Separately, the output of pig iron in March grew by 12% month on month and by 2% year on year to roughly 5.1 million tons.