Japan’s iron ore concentrate imports increased by 2.3pc in April 2021 to 10.49mn mt from the same month last year, according to the country’s Ministry of Finance’s preliminary data. Imports of non-ferrous ore, however, declined by 0.5pc to 859,000mt during the same period.
Finished products and non-ferrous import volumes
The country imported 684,031mt of iron and steel products last month, an 8.1pc rise from April 2020, while nonferrous metal imports were up 9.2pc to 237,306mt in the same time frame.
Import values
Iron ore imports were valued at JPY148.9bn in April 2021, signifying a 50.2pc rise from last year, while non-ferrous ore shipments were valued at JPY155bn growing 28.4pc.
Japan imported iron and steel products worth JPY86.8bn last month, up 20.1pc from April 2020. The country’s non-ferrous metals imports jumped by 60.8pc to JPY237.3bn.
Motor vehicle imports
Motor vehicle imports into Japan were nearly flat in April declining by 0.8pc to 29,232 units valued at JPY110.34bn, down 3.1pc from the previous year.
Non-ferrous exports continue to rise
The country’s non-ferrous metals export volumes continued to climb, increasing by 13.2pc in April to 121,554mt compared to the same prior-year month. The corresponding shipments’ value of the products rose by 48.5pc annually to JPY163.9bn. However, Japan shipped 4pc less iron and steel products at 2.7mn mt in the same timeframe, though their value increased by 20.6pc to JPY277mn.
Japan’s vehicle exports surged by 85.1pc to 472,698 units in April compared to the previous year, with its value going up by 88.9pc to JPY992.28mn.
($1=JPY108.82)