In January this year, Japan's iron and steel product exports amounted to 3.30 million metric tons, decreasing by 9.7 percent year on year and down by 6.7 percent compared to December, while Japan's iron and steel product imports totaled 919,044 metric tons, with a month-on-month increase of 22 percent and a year-on-year increase of 45.6 percent, according to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance.
Regarding Japan's major iron and steel product export markets, in January the country's exports to South Korea totaled 577,834 mt, down 10 percent, while exports to China increased by 7.1 percent to 460,019 mt, the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 299,231 metric tons, down 23.6 percent, exports to Thailand totaled 464,197 metric tons, down 4.7 percent, while exports to the US came to 187,483 metric tons, decreasing by 0.1 percent, all on year-on-year basis.
Japanese main iron and steel export and import products are presented below:
| Exports | Imports | |||
| Jan 2014 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | Jan 2014 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | |
| Semi-finished | 438,462 | 4,5 | 32,044 | 15,37 |
| Bars | 9,471 | -53,81 | 4,502 | -27,27 |
| Wire rod | 53,749 | 19,85 | 11,861 | -1,98 |
| Heavy plate | 226,422 | -9,64 | 57,053 | -2,17 |
| HRC | 963,128 | 2,6 | 170,974 | 22 |
| CRC | 222,937 | -18,11 | 111,557 | 32,01 |
| Galvanized sheet | 306,048 | -7,95 | 67,512 | 12,36 |
| Special steel | 545,877 | -21,44 | 105,506 | 30,44 |