According to the provisional data released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, in October this year Japan's iron and steel product exports came to 3.4 million metric tons, increasing by three percent month on month and down 0.3 percent as compared to the same month of the previous year, while these exports generated a value of JPY 302.6 billion ($3.8 billion), down 4.6 percent compared to October 2010 and down 0.3 percent on month-on-month basis.
In the given month, Japan's iron and steel product exports to the US increased by 47.9 percent to 126,000 metric tons, its exports to the EU increased by 10.3 percent to 54,000 metric tons, while iron and steel exports to China decreased by 11.4 percent to 523,000 metric tons, exports to the Middle East fell by five percent to 111,000 metric tons, and iron and steel exports to the ASEAN countries rose by 9.9 percent to 1.04 million metric tons, all compared to October 2010.