According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's hot rolled coil (HRC) exports totaled 513,014 metric tons in July this year, decreasing by 34.21 percent month on month and down 21.91 percent compared to July 2009.
In the month in question, South Korea decreased its HRC imports from Japan by 34.88 percent month on month to 215.253 metric tons, while a drop of 14.53 percent was registered compared to July 2009. Thailand imported 120,340 metric tons from the same source, down 32.14 percent month on month and up 20.2 percent year on year, while Taiwan's Japanese HRC imports halved as compared to the previous month to 43,382 metric tons, up 40.27 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in the January-July period of 2010, Japan's HRC exports amounted to 4.71 million metric tons, rising by 63.51 percent, as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
In the first seven months of this year, Japanese HRC exports to South Korea totaled 2.22 million metric tons, surging by 60.22 percent, while exports to Thailand came to 989,000 metric tons, climbing by 196.1 percent and Taiwan doubled its HRC imports from Japan to 369,927 metric tons.