According to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, Japan's iron and steel product exports in July this year amounted to 3.7 million metric tons, increasing by 11.2 percent compared to the same month of 2011 and up by 2.2 percent month on month, while Japan's steel imports totaled 684,457 metric tons, with a month-on-month increase of 6.4 percent and a year-on-year increase of 1.7 percent.
Regarding Japan's major steel export markets, in July the country's steel exports to South Korea totaled 767,634 mt, up nine percent, while steel exports to China increased by 14 percent to 566,302 metric tons; the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 299,013 metric tons, down eight percent; exports to Thailand totaled 512,707 metric tons, up 18 percent; while exports to the US fell to 201,229 metric tons, decreasing by 12 percent, all compared to the previous month.
In July, Japan imported 266,181 metric tons of steel from South Korea, up nine percent, it imported 39,449 metric tons from China, up by 46 percent, while imports from Taiwan fell to 66,644 metric tons, decreasing by 5.5 percent, all compared to the previous month.
Exports | Imports | |||||
July 2012 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | Change y-o-y (%) | July 2012 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | Change y-o-y (%) | |
Semi-finished | 515,244 | 8.2 | 13.6 | 13,013 | 109.2 | 52 |
Bars | 41,472 | 39.3 | 33.6 | 3,206 | 64 | 55.6 |
42,897 | -8.06 | 8.4 | 18,972 | 15.7 | 8.8 | |
Heavy plate | 359,065 | 12.3 | 48 | 42,213 | 17.7 | 31.6 |
885,912 | 4.7 | 35.3 | 150,838 | 5.9 | 20.1 | |
279,626 | 4.6 | -13.3 | 86,883 | 11.5 | 16.3 | |
Galvanized sheet | 421,047 | 14.5 | 1.07 | 39,477 | -7.45 | -22.5 |
Special steel | 638,497 | -5.8 | -1.3 | 54,744 | 60.6 | 95.3 |