Output of crude steel in August fell 1.7 pct from a year earlier to 9.23 mln tons, the second consecutive month of decline, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said. Month-on-month, output dropped 2.1 pct. Crude steel production of blast furnace operators rose 0.4 pct from the previous year to 7.12 mln tons in August, the sixth straight monthly increase, while output at electric furnace operators dropped 8.4 pct to 2.11 mln tons, marking the seventh straight month of decline. From January to August, crude steel production reached 75.39 mln tons, up 0.8 pct over the corresponding period in the previous year.