According to data released by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation (JISF), the country's crude steel output totaled 8.86 million tons in January, increasing by 3.5% from a month ago and rising by 2.7% year on year.
Besides, Japan's pig iron output totaled 7 million tons in January, up by 4.9% from a month ago and increasing by 6.8% year on year.
In 2012, the country's output of crude steel and pig iron reached 107.2 million tons and 81.4 million tons respectively.