Japan September steel output down 18 pct yr/yr

TOKYO Oct 19 (Reuters) - Japan's crude steel output dropped 18 percent in September from a year earlier to 8.27 million tonnes, falling for the 12th straight month, the Japan Iron and Steel Federation said on Monday.

Output declined 0.4 percent from August, the first month-on-month fall in five months

Strong exports to China, South Korea and other countries had been helping Japanese steelmakers including Nippon Steel Corp (5401.T), the world's second-biggest steelmaker, and No.6 JFE Holdings Inc (5411.T) to lift output on a month-on-month basis. (Reporting by Yuko Inoue)