According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, the country's ferrous scrap exports totaled 9.41 million metric tons in 2009, increasing by 73.03 percent compared to 2008.
In the year in question, China increased its ferrous scrap imports from Japan by 87.13 percent to 5.01 million metric tons, while South Korea imported 3.78 million metric tons from the same source, up 60.06 percent, both compared to 2008.
Scrap exports to China accounted for 53.3 percent of Japan's total scrap exports, while exports to South Korea constituted 40.15 percent of total scrap exports.