Japan’s blast furnace mills have deepened their tendency to increase their production of chrome-based stainless steel, but, owing to a considerable reduction in production of stainless steel implemented by these mills in the first quarter of 2009, the ratio of chrome-based stainless steel products produced by seven blast furnace mills had fallen to 58.5%, having broken the level of 60%. The ratio of chrome-based stainless steel products produced by specialized stainless steel companies in the first quarter of 2009 had come down to 37%, having fallen in the same case as that of blast furnace mills. Out of the total output in the first quarter of 2009, blast furnace mills produced 211,000tns of stainless steel products as decreased by 58.8% from that in the same quarter of 2008 and specialized stainless steel mills produced 15,800tns of stainless steel products as decreased by 52.4% from that in the first quarter of 2008. According to the statistical classification of stainless steel products so far applied in Japan, chrome-based stainless steel products had been put in the category of heat resisting steel products but, since the Ministry of Economy, Trade & Industry has revised this classification, certain grades of chrome-based stainless steel products have been included in chrome- based stainless steel products and, consequently, the portion of chrome-based stainless steel products has expanded from 2007.