According to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, Japan's iron and steel product exports in April this year amounted to 3.09 million metric tons, decreasing by nine percent compared to the same month of 2011 and down by 21 percent month on month, while Japan's steel imports were 634,416 metric tons, with a month-on-month decrease of four percent and a year-on-year decrease of seven percent.
Regarding Japan's major steel export markets, in April the country's steel exports to South Korea totaled 658,308 mt, down 20.7 percent, while steel exports to China decreased by 9.3 percent to 486,886 metric tons; the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 242,553 metric tons, down 20.6 percent; exports to Thailand totaled 416,009 metric tons, up 4.4 percent; while exports to the US came to 197,680 metric tons, decreasing by 21.2 percent, all compared to the previous month.
In April, Japan imported 236,770 metric tons of steel from South Korea, down 4.8 percent, it imported 40,673 metric tons from China, down by 21 percent, while imports from Taiwan fell to 58,229 metric tons, decreasing by 24.3 percent, all compared to the previous month.
Exports | Imports | ||||||
April 2012 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | Change y-o-y (%) | April 2012 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | Change y-o-y (%) | ||
Semi-finished | 334,930 | -28 | -20 | 29,869 | 343 | 237 | |
Bars | 32,083 | 8 | - | 2,257 | -20 | -6 | |
41,233 | -12 | 24 | 21,597 | -27 | -46 | ||
Heavy plate | 304,616 | -13 | -2 | 39,826 | -6 | 50 | |
711,229 | -23 | 3 | 140,589 | -13 | -15 | ||
234,556 | -25 | -27 | 67,041 | -8 | 12 | ||
Galvanized sheet | 339,774 | -15 | -19 | 41,019 | -16 | 35 | |
Special steel | 614,038 | -15 | -6 | 38,393 | -15 | -4 | |