In January this year, Japan's iron and steel product exports amounted to 3.19 million metric tons, declining by 10.8 percent month on month and down by 7.4 percent year on year, while Japan's iron and steel product imports totaled 661,332 metric tons, with a month-on-month decrease of 4.8 percent and a year-on-year decrease of 11.7 percent, according to the customs statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (JISF).
Regarding Japan's major iron and steel product export markets, in January the country's iron and steel exports to South Korea totaled 585,227 mt, up 6.2 percent, while exports to China increased by 2.7 percent to 415,478 mt, the export volume to Taiwan amounted to 180,829 metric tons, down 47.1 percent, exports to Thailand totaled 441,089 metric tons, declining by one percent, while exports to the US totaled 136,873 metric tons, falling by 31 percent, all year on year.
In January, Japan imported 287,931 metric tons of iron and steel products from South Korea, down 9.8 percent, it imported 167,821 metric tons from China, decreasing by 16.4 percent, while imports from Taiwan fell 15.5 percent to 80,205 metric tons, all compared to the same month of 2015.
| Exports | Imports | |||
|
| January 2016 (mt) | Change y-o-y (%) | January 2016 (mt) | Change y-o-y (%) |
| Semi-finished | 411,128 | -7.6 | 21,620 | 121.3 |
| Bars | 60,703 | 91.7 | 3,847 | 42.3 |
| Wire rod | 51,238 | -15.9 | 7,148 | -6.1 |
| Heavy plate | 209,735 | -27.9 | 39,717 | -37.5 |
| HRC | 1,030,406 | 5.3 | 124,933 | -13.2 |
| CRC | 220,742 | -1.8 | 63,129 | -29.73 |
| Galvanized sheet | 208,246 | -19.2 | 61,370 | 3.3 |
| Special steel | 621,555 | -8.1 | 102,192 | 6.6 |
| Stainless steel | 79,237 | -8.4 | 16,222 | 16 |