According to the provisional data released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, in January this year
Japan's iron and steel product exports came to 2.9 million metric tons, decreasing by 5.9 percent month on month and down 16.1 percent as compared to the same month of the previous year, while these exports generated a value of JPY 259 billion ($3.2 billion), down 9.8 percent compared to December 2011 and down 11.4 percent on year-on-year basis.
In the given month,
Japan's iron and steel product exports to the US increased by 18.9 percent to 169,000 metric tons, its exports to the EU decreased by 27.1 percent to 22,000 metric tons, while iron and steel exports to China decreased by 30.2 percent to 425,000 metric tons, exports to the Middle East rose by 63.8 percent to 157,000 metric tons, and iron and steel exports to ASEAN countries fell by 7.8 percent to 850,000 metric tons, all compared to January 2011.