According to statistics released by Japan's Ministry of Finance, Japan's ferrous scrap exports totaled 775,344 metric tons in May this year, falling by 12.1 percent month on month and up 12 percent compared to May 2012.
Meanwhile, in first five months of 2013 the country's scrap exports amounted to 4.1 million mt, increasing 22.2 percent compared to the same period of the previous year.
In May this year, Japanese scrap exports to South Korea totaled 424,374 metric tons, falling 22.7 percent from the previous month but up 12 percent over May 2012, while exports to China amounted to 210,050 metric tons, decreasing by 21.8 percent compared to April and down 23 percent compared to the same month of the previous year. Vietnam imported 78,159 mt of steel scrap from Japan in May, rising 87.9 percent month on month and more than double compared to the same month of 2012.