Steel output in Japan, the world's second-largest producer, fell 6.3 percent in April from a year earlier after the nation's twin disasters damaged plants and cut demand from customers including carmakers.
Crude steel output dropped for the second straight month to 8.42 million metric tons, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said Monday. That's 7.6 percent less than the level in March, the federation said.
The magnitude 9 earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan on March 11 damaged steel mills and disrupted output at customers such as Toyota Motor Corp.
Blast furnace output fell 9.6 percent from a year earlier to 6.33 million tons in April, while production from electric- arc furnaces, which use scrap steel as a raw material, gained 5.1 percent to 2.09 million tons, the federation said.