According to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance, Japan's iron and steel product exports in February this year amounted to 3.2 million metric tons, decreasing by 13.2 percent compared to the same month of 2011 and up by 9.5 percent month on month, while Japan's steel imports hit 602,816 metric tons, with a month-on-month decrease of 14 percent and a year-on-year increase of 7.2 percent.
Regarding Japan's major steel export markets, in February the country's steel exports to South Korea totaled 663,737 mt, up 8.3 percent, while steel exports to China increased by 21.75 percent to 524,458 metric tons; the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 247,310 metric tons, up 8.5 percent; exports to Thailand totaled 352,694 metric tons, up 0.3 percent; while exports to the US came to 240,078 metric tons, increasing by 37.7 percent, all compared to the previous month.
In February, Japan imported 227,140 metric tons of steel from South Korea, down 12.7 percent, it imported 50,205 metric tons from China, up by two percent, while imports from Taiwan fell to 58,872 metric tons, decreasing by 25.4 percent, all compared to the previous month.
Exports | Imports | ||||||
February 2012 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | Change y-o-y (%) | February 2012 (mt) | Change m-o-m (%) | Change y-o-y (%) | ||
Semi-finished | 362,740 | -4.1 | -19.3 | 37,993 | -21.5 | 913 | |
Bars | 20,556 | -34.3 | -43.2 | 2,521 | -25.7 | -19.1 | |
30,786 | -6.6 | -36.7 | 29,052 | 43.9 | 69 | ||
Heavy plate | 256,664 | 2.3 | -22.6 | 41,346 | 3.7 | 127 | |
785,429 | 11.75 | -4.2 | 130,542 | 4.9 | 11.3 | ||
277,123 | 22 | -17.2 | 59,395 | -23.9 | -9.9 | ||
Galvanized sheet | 362,344 | 16.7 | -12.8 | 44,324 | -26.7 | 5.8 | |
Special steel | 633,790 | 15.4 | -8.7 | 37,308 | 25 | 68.6 | |