According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's ferrous scrap exports totaled 271,490 metric tons in May this year, falling by 21.67 percent month on month and down 39.14 percent compared to May 2010, affected by the earthquake and the tsunami which hit Japan on March 11.
In May, Japan's ferrous scrap exports to China decreased by 4.08 percent month on month to 132,901 metric tons, while a drop of 17.99 percent was registered compared to May 2010. South Korea imported 133,353 metric tons from Japan in May this year, down 34.33 percent month on month and down 45.11 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in the January-May period of 2011, Japan's scrap exports amounted to 2.04 million metric tons, declining by 33.60 percent year on year.
In the first five months of this year, Japanese scrap exports to China totaled 860,269 metric tons, while exports to South Korea amounted to 1.15 million metric tons, decreasing by 23 percent and down 36.54 percent respectively, both compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.