According to statistics released by
Japan's Ministry of Finance,
Japan's
iron ore imports totaled 9.6 million metric tons in September this year, falling by 21.4 percent month on month and down 16.4 percent compared to September 2011.
In the first nine months of 2012,
Japan's
iron ore imports amounted to 98.1 million metric tons, increasing by 1.6 percent year on year.
In the first three quarters of this year,
Japan's
iron ore imports from
Australia remained almost stable with a 0.3 percent increase compared to the same period of last year, amounting to 60.5 million metric tons, while
Brazil exported 28.3 million mt of
iron ore to
Japan in the first nine months of this year, rising by 3.6 percent year on year.