According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's nickel ore imports totaled 428,506 metric tons in September this year, rising by four percent month on month and up 30 percent compared to September 2011.
Meanwhile, in the first three quarters of 2012, Japan's nickel ore imports amounted to 3.4 million metric tons, increasing by 35.65 percent year on year. The value of these imports came to RMB 20.1 billion ($252.2 million), falling by 0.8 percent compared to the January-September period of 2011.
In the first three quarters of the current year, Japan's nickel ore imports from Indonesia accounted for 44.6 percent of total Japanese nickel ore imports, up by 12.5 percent compared to the same period last year to 1.5 million metric tons, while the Philippines exported 1.1 million mt of nickel ore to Japan in the first nine months of this year, rising 115 percent year on year. Meanwhile, New Caledonia's nickel ore exports to Japan rose by 14.7 percent year on year in the period in question to 771,307 mt.