In December last year, Japanese ferrous scrap exports amounted to 495,168 mt, falling by 33.7 percent compared to 747,220 mt in the same month of the previous year, according to customs statistics. In 2021, the country exported 7.30 million mt of scrap, falling by 22.0 percent year on year.
During the full year, South Korea was the biggest importer of Japanese scrap, importing 3.08 million mt, up by 4.4 percent year on year. South Korea was followed by Vietnam and Taiwan, importing 2.24 million mt and 594,833 mt of scrap, down 34.1 percent and 46.5 percent, respectively, year on year.
Meanwhile, Japanese scrap exports to China increased to 401,138 mt last year, up from 15,779 mt in the previous year.