According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's iron ore imports totaled 10.08 million metric tons in July this year, falling by 10.75 percent month on month and down by 11.5 percent compared to July 2011.
In the first seven months of 2012, Japan's iron ore imports amounted to 76.2 million metric tons, increasing by 4.7 percent year on year.
In July this year, Japan's iron ore imports from Australia fell by 1.6 percent compared to the same month of last year to 6.6 million metric tons, while Brazil exported 2.8 million mt of iron ore to Japan in the July this year, falling by 26.5 percent year on year.