Japanese HR flat steel exports up 22% in May over Apr

According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's hot rolled (HR) flat steel exports totaled 1.24 million metric tons in May this year, increasing by 22 percent month on month and up 29 percent compared to May 2011.
 
Meanwhile, in the first five months of 2012 Japan's hot rolled flat steel exports amounted to 5.5 million metric tons, rising by two percent as compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.
 
In the first five months of this year, Japanese hot rolled flat steel exports to South Korea totaled 1.67 million metric tons, falling by 18.9 percent, exports to Thailand came to 752,315 metric tons, rising 12.5 percent, while China's hot rolled steel imports from Japan decreased by 10.4 percent to 579,705 metric tons, all compared to January-May 2011.