According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's hot rolled (HR) flat steel exports totaled 1.2 million metric tons in November 2012, decreasing by 10.3 percent month on month and up 13.7 percent compared to November 2011.
Meanwhile, in the first 11 months of 2012 Japan's hot rolled flat steel exports amounted to 12.6 million metric tons, rising by 9.9 percent as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
In the first 11 months of 2012, Japanese hot rolled flat steel exports to South Korea totaled 3.4 million metric tons, falling by 8.1 percent, exports to Thailand came to 1.8 million metric tons, rising 23.3 percent, while China's hot rolled flat steel imports from Japan decreased by 10.8 percent to 1.25 million metric tons, all compared to January-November 2011.