Japan's steel scrap imports soar 102% in January

TOKYO (Scrap Monster): According to trade statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MoF), the country’s ferrous scrap imports jumped higher significantly during the month of January this year. However, the monthly imports declined when matched with the previous month. The ferrous scrap imports by Japan totaled 24,777 tons during the month, surging higher by 102% when compared with the imports during the same month a year before. Japan had imported only 12,246 tons of ferrous scrap during Kanuary 2016.

The largest exporter of ferrous scrap to Japan during January this year was Hong Kong. The exports from Hong Kong totaled 10,516 tons, rising significantly over the exports of 234 tons during the same month a year before. The exports from Hong Kong accounted for 42.4% of the total ferrous scrap imports by Japan during the month. The second largest source of ferrous scrap imports by Japan was South Korea. The imports from the country accounted for 30.8% share of imports, totaling at 7,635 tons. The imports from South Korea were up by nearly 20% year-on-year. In third place was Taiwan with 3,942 tons. Accounting for nearly 16% share of Japanese ferrous scrap imports, the volumes were up considerably by 141.2%. The other key exporters of ferrous scrap to Japan during the month were the USA (1,237 tons), Thailand (242 tons), Philippines (203 tons), China (165 tons) and Singapore (158 tons).

Month-on-month, imports from Hong Kong skyrocketed from 39 tons in Dec ’16. The imports from South Korea too were up by nearly 22%. Meantime, the imports from Taiwan more than doubled when compared with the month before. On the other hand, import volumes from the US reduced drastically. The scrap imports from Thailand, Philippines, China and Singapore too witnessed month-on-month decline during January this year.

Scrap Imports-Dec ‘16

The Japanese scrap imports had totaled 37,899 tons during the month. The key exporters of scrap to Japan were the US (28,102 tons), followed by South Korea (6,264 tons) and Taiwan (1,678 tons). The imports from other countries were as follows: Thailand (346 tons), Philippines (231 tons), China (217 tons) and Singapore (181 tons).

Scrap Imports-Nov ‘16

Japan’s scrap imports totaled 10,036 tons during the month of November last year. The largest exporter of ferrous scrap to Japan during the month was South Korea. The exports from South Korea totaled 5,049 tons, falling sharply when compared with the imports during the prior month. The exports from South Korea accounted for nearly half of the total ferrous scrap imports by Japan during the month. The second largest source of ferrous scrap imports by Japan was Taiwan. The imports from the country accounted for over 25% share of imports, totaling at 1,536 tons. The imports from Taiwan were down by 23.4% month-on-month. In third place was the USA with 1,035 tons. The other key exporters of ferrous scrap to Japan during the month were China (447 tons), Hong Kong (265 tons), Singapore (257 tons) and Thailand (177 tons).

Scrap Imports-Oct ‘16

The country’s scrap imports had totaled 11,333 tons during the month. The main importer of scrap during the month was South Korea with 6,671 tons. Taiwan (2,005 tons), the USA (882 tons) and Singapore (335 tons) were the other main exporters of ferrous scrap to Japan.