Japan June ethylene output down 3 pct yr/yr - METI

TOKYO, July 7 (Reuters) - Japanese ethylene production fell 3 percent in June from the same month a year earlier, government data showed, declining by only single digits for the third straight month as several firms increased naphtha cracker output.

Ethylene output totalled 555,400 tonnes last month, compared with 572,600 tonnes a year earlier, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said on Tuesday.

Japanese petrochemical makers began raising runs in April to capitalise on a recovery in demand from China, after weak demand due to the recession led to double digit percentage falls from September to March.

In June, Idemitsu Kosan Co (5019.T) and Showa Denko (4004.T) raised their naphtha cracker output to 95 percent or higher to meet recovering demand for petrochemicals. [ID:nT69114]

June saw three maintenance-related plant shutdowns in Japan, while four plants were shut in the same month last year, METI said.

Ethylene, made from naphtha, is a basic feedstock for petrochemicals that are processed into products such as plastics. (Reporting by James Topham; Editing by Chris Gallagher)