According to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, Japan's iron and steel product exports in February this year amounted to 3.6 million metric tons, increasing by 12.6 percent compared to the same month of 2012 and down by 0.7 percent month on month, while Japan's steel imports amounted to 516,794 metric tons, with a month-on-month decrease of 18.1 percent and a year-on-year decrease of 14.3 percent.
Regarding Japan's major steel export markets, in February the country's steel exports to South Korea totaled 607,154 mt, down 8.5 percent, while steel exports to China decreased by 15.5 percent to 443,023 metric tons; the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 350,061 metric tons, up 41.5 percent; exports to Thailand totaled 427,989 metric tons, up 21.3 percent; while exports to the US came to 199,252 metric tons, decreasing by 17 percent, all compared to the same month of the previous year.
In February, Japan imported 256,721 metric tons of steel from South Korea, down 17.6 percent, it imported 85,125 metric tons from China, down by 18.9 percent, while imports from Taiwan came to 76,746 metric tons, increasing by 12.7 percent, all year on year.
| Exports | Imports | |||||
| Feb 2013 | Change | Change | Feb 2013 | Change | Change | |
| (mt) | m-o-m (%) | y-o-y (%) | (mt) | m-o-m (%) | y-o-y (%) | |
| Semi-finished | 454,571 | -26.2 | 25.3 | 9,057 | -62.7 | -76.2 |
| Bars | 34,91 | 32.6 | 69.8 | 1,852 | -55.8 | -26.6 |
| Sections | 72,551 | -15.2 | 4.5 | 5,454 | 21 | 6.7 |
| Wire rod | 52,711 | 19.6 | 71.2 | 11,072 | 40.4 | -61.9 |
| Heavy plate | 248,895 | -23.9 | -3 | 28,154 | -3.5 | -31.9 |
| HRC | 1,008,452 | -1.3 | 28.4 | 135,189 | -12 | 3.6 |
| CRC | 276,806 | 25.9 | -0.1 | 58,05 | -9.4 | -2.3 |
| Galvanized sheet | 316,118 | 0.8 | -12.8 | 32,903 | -27 | -25.8 |
| Special steel | 642,625 | 22.7 | 1.4 | 40,773 | -10.3 | 9.3 |