According to the provisional data released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, in May this year
Japan's steel exports came to 3.2 million metric tons, decreasing by 3.6 percent month on month and down eight percent as compared to the same month of the previous year, while these exports generated a value of JPY 307.5 billion ($3.8 billion), down 4.7 percent compared to May 2010 and down 9.4 percent on month-on-month basis.
In the given month,
Japan's iron and steel product exports to the US decreased by 2.7 percent to 139,000 metric tons, its exports to the EU increased by 18.7 percent to 34,000 metric tons, while iron and steel exports to China decreased by 5.7 percent to 570,000 metric tons, exports to the Middle East dropped by 23.2 percent to 75,000 metric tons, and iron and steel exports to the ASEAN countries dropped by 9.8 percent to 941,000 metric tons, all compared to May 2010.