Japan's iron and steel product exports down 4.1 percent in Jan-Nov

In November this year, Japan's iron and steel product exports amounted to 3.3 million metric tons, decreasing by 8.1 percent month on month and down 2.9 percent year on year, while Japan's iron and steel product imports totaled 672,491 metric tons, with a month-on-month decline of 12.2 percent and a year-on-year decrease of 14.8 percent, according to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (JISF).
 
In the January-November period of the current year, Japanese iron and steel product exports amounted to 38.3 million mt, decreasing by 4.1 percent, while Japanese iron and steel product imports came to 8.55 million mt, increasing by 22.5 percent, both compared to the January-November period of 2013.
 
Regarding Japan's major iron and steel product export markets, in the first 11 months of this year the country's iron and steel exports to South Korea totaled 6.76 million mt, down seven percent, while exports to China decreased by three percent to 5.42 million mt, the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 3.15 million metric tons, down 11.2 percent, exports to Thailand totaled 5.08 million metric tons, up 0.5 percent, while exports to the US totaled 2.24 million metric tons, increasing by 4.7 percent, all compared to the same period of 2013.
 
In the January-November period of the current year, Japan imported 3.8 million metric tons of iron and steel products from South Korea, up 16.2 percent, it imported 1.9 million metric tons from China, up 65.7 percent, while imports from Taiwan rose to 1.07 million metric tons, increasing by 6.7 percent, all compared to the same period of 2013.