Japan sees decline in steel exports
Japan's steel exports fell 16.4 percent year on year in July as the demand from South
Korea,
China and
Thailand decreased.
Data from the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation show that the country's steel exports contracted to 2.58 million metric tons in July.
Shrinking demand from South
Korea,
China and
Thailand, the three largest importers of Japanese steel, saw steel exports fall for the first time in two months.
Japan's steel exports to South
Korea fell 24.3 percent to 615'000 metric tons in July while those to
China decreased 24 percent to 457'000 metric tons.
Exports to
Thailand were down for the first time in nine months, dropping 9.3 percent to 332'000 metric tons.
Meanwhile,
Japan's steel exports to the US rose 2.8 percent to 128'000 metric tons, while those to
Taiwan increased 3.6 percent to 280'000 metric tons.