In May this year,
Japan's steel exports resumed their rising trend, following a decline registered in April which came after increases in each of the three previous months.
According to the provisional data released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, in May this year
Japan exported 3.58 million metric tons of iron and steel products, increasing by two percent month on month and up 67 percent compared to May 2009. The revenue generated by these exports amounted to JPY 322.67 billion ($3.6 billion), increasing by 73.6 percent year on year.
The country's iron and steel product imports in the month in question totaled 617,487 metric tons, climbing by 128.9 percent as compared to May 2009 and down 11.22 percent month on month, while these imports amounted to a value of JPY 63.51 billion ($709.26 million), up 101.2 percent compared to the corresponding month of 2009.
In the given month,
Japan's iron and steel product exports to the
US increased by 153.7 percent to 142,000 metric tons, its exports to the EU rose by 118.5 percent to 29,000 metric tons, while iron and steel exports to
China increased by 32.6 percent to 605,000 metric tons, exports to the
Middle East went up by 145.9 percent to 98,000 metric tons, and iron and steel exports to the ASEAN countries rose by 162.4 percent to 1.04 million metric tons, all compared to May 2009.