Japan's steel exports up

Data from the Japanese Iron and Steel Federation show that Japan's steel exports rose 6.1 percent year on year to 2.99 million metric tons in May 2006. This is the first rise in the past 11 months. Japan's steel exports to South Korea rose 14.5 percent year on year to 767,000 metric tons in May, while those to China dropped 2 percent to 506,000 metric tons. Furthermore, Japan's steel exports to Thailand fell 20.3 percent to 301,000 metric tons, while those to Taiwan grew 12.7 percent to 339,000 metric tons. On the other hand, Japan's steel exports to the US jumped 80.6 percent to 210,000 metric tons.