According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's hot rolled (HR) flat steel exports totaled 1.4 million metric tons in March this year, increasing by 13.7 percent month on month and up 11.8 percent compared to March 2012. In the first quarter of the year, Japan's hot rolled flat steel exports amounted to 4 million metric tons, rising by 23.6 percent as compared to the same period of the previous year.
In the first quarter, Japanese hot rolled flat steel exports to South Korea totaled 880,935 metric tons, falling by 15 percent, exports to Thailand came to 405,440 million metric tons, falling 3.7 percent, while Vietnam's hot rolled flat steel imports from Japan rose by 80.2 percent, amounting to 426,366 metric tons, all compared to the first quarter of 2012.