In January this year, Japan's iron and steel product exports amounted to 3.20 million metric tons, declining by 5.4 percent month on month and up by 0.3 percent year on year, while Japan's iron and steel product imports totaled 769,057 metric tons, with a month-on-month increase of 8.4 percent and a year-on-year increase of 16.3 percent, according to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (JISF).
Regarding Japan's major iron and steel product export markets, in January the country's iron and steel exports to South Korea totaled 570,434 mt, down 2.5 percent, while exports to China increased by 5.9 percent to 440,114 mt, the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 192,225 metric tons, up 6.3 percent, exports to Thailand totaled 467,555 metric tons, rising by six percent, while exports to the US totaled 123,885 metric tons, falling by 9.5 percent, all year on year.
In January, Japan imported 374,595 metric tons of iron and steel products from South Korea, up 30.1 percent, it imported 150,701 metric tons from China, decreasing by 10.2 percent, while imports from Taiwan rose 6.2 percent to 85,166 metric tons, all compared to the same month of 2016.
Exports | Imports | |||
| January 2017 (mt) | Change y-o-y (%) | January 2017 (mt) | Change y-o-y (%) |
Semi-finished | 370,795 | -9.8 | 25,085 | 16 |
Bars | 38,903 | -35.9 | 4,545 | 18.1 |
Wire rod | 55,074 | 7.5 | 6,173 | -13.6 |
Heavy plate | 159,338 | -24 | 48,395 | 21.9 |
1,084,044 | 5.2 | 144,404 | 15.5 | |
186,988 | -15.3 | 86,994 | 37.8 | |
Galvanized sheet | 224,634 | 7.9 | 71,926 | 17.2 |
Special steel | 720,694 | 16 | 82,423 | -19.3 |
Stainless steel | 72,576 | -8.4 | 16,551 | 2.0 |