Japanese imports of aluminum scrap rose to 25,500mt in January-May 2021, up 31.7pc from 19,400mt in the same period last year, the Japan Aluminium Association indicated. In May, these imports rose by 4.5pc to 3,800mt.
Imports of unwrought aluminum, which was unalloyed, grew by 4.6pc to 577,900mt in the first five months from 552,700mt in the same period of 2020. Meanwhile, Japan’s alloyed unwrought imports grew by 14pc to stand at 471,400mt against 414,00mt in the same period under comparison. For May, these segments grew by 4.2pc and 29.7pc to 116,500mt and 92,100mt, respectively, on an annual basis.
Japan remains one of the biggest consumers of unwrought aluminum, both alloyed and unalloyed, thanks to its vast domestic and export automotive market. Countries like China, India, and South Korea have entire plants dedicated entirely to making secondary alloys such as ADC12 and A7 to ship to Japan.