Data from the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation show that Japan's steel exports rose 7.1 percent year on year to 3.21 million metric tons in May 2007.
In May, Japan's steel exports to South Korea rose 9.2 percent year on year to 837,000 metric tons, while exports to China increased 12.5 percent to 570,000 metric tons in the same month.
In addition, Japan's May steel exports to Thailand rose 22.2 percent year on year to 367,000 metric tons, while those to Taiwan decreased 9.7 percent to 306,000 metric tons.
Japan's steel exports to the US declined 21.4 percent to 165,000 metric tons in May.