According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's nickel ore imports totaled 392,064 metric tons in August this year, down 18.2 percent month on month and decreasing by 4.9 percent compared to August 2012.
In the first eight months of the year, Japan's nickel ore imports amounted to 3.3 million metric tons, increasing by 13.5 percent year on year.
In the first eight months of the current year, Japan's nickel ore imports from Indonesia rose 26.9 percent compared to the same period of the previous year to 1.7 million metric tons, while the Philippines exported 968,244 mt of nickel ore to Japan in the first eight months, down 5.5 percent year on year.