Japan's iron and steel product exports down 4.6 percent in August

In August this year, Japan's iron and steel product exports amounted to 3.55 million metric tons, increasing by 6.7 percent month on month and down 4.6 percent year on year, while Japan's iron and steel product imports totaled 672,316 metric tons, with a month-on-month decrease of 13.8 percent and a year-on-year increase of 0.3 percent, according to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (JISF).
 
In the January-August period of the current year, Japanese iron and steel product exports amounted to 27.66 million mt, decreasing by seven percent, while Japanese iron and steel product imports came to 6.32 million mt, increasing by 29.5 percent, both compared to the January-August period of 2013.
 
Regarding Japan's major iron and steel product export markets, in the first eight months of this year the country's iron and steel exports to South Korea totaled 4.84 million mt, down 9.8 percent, while exports to China decreased by 0.5 percent to 3.99 million mt, the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 2.31 million metric tons, down 15 percent, exports to Thailand totaled 3.68 million metric tons, down 4.5 percent, while exports to the US totaled 1.58 million metric tons, decreasing by 0.5 percent, all compared to the same period of 2013.
 
In the January-August period of the current year, Japan imported 2.83 million metric tons of iron and steel products from South Korea, up 24.2 percent, it imported 1.44 million metric tons from China, up 76.6 percent, while imports from Taiwan rose to 794,807 metric tons, increasing by 15.7 percent, all compared to the same period of 2013.