Pan Pacific Apr-Sep copper output seen down 3.2 pct yr/yr

TOKYO, April 6 (Reuters) - Pan Pacific Copper Co Ltd, Japan's top copper smelter, plans to produce 290,300 tonnes of copper in April-September, down 3.2 percent from a year earlier, the company said on Monday.

Key Japanese copper smelters have been reducing output by about 10 percent since the start of the year as the economic crisis forces automakers and other manufacturers, which are large metal consumers, to cut production.

Nippon Mining & Metals Co Ltd, part of Nippon Mining Holdings Inc (5016.T), has a 66 percent stake in Pan Pacific, while the reminder is held by Mitsui Mining and Smelting Co Ltd (5706.T) (Reporting by Miho Yoshikawa)