Japan produced 202,000mt of secondary aluminum in Q1 2021, up by 4pc compared with 194,200mt in the same period last year, according to data from the Japan Aluminium Association. In March, output rose 7.5pc to 72,300mt from a year ago.
During the first quarter, demand from various sectors such as electric conductor (EC), transport and exports increased marginally in the country. However, building and construction along with fabricated metal demand declined by 4.1pc and 3.2pc, respectively.
Among product segments, growth was spurred by aluminum foil production, which grew by 15.5pc on an annual basis in Q1 2021 to 29,300mt from 25,400mt in the same quarter last year. EC material output also increased by 1.9pc to 10,600mt while die-casting rose by 0.4pc to 239,000mt in the same timeframe.
Production of secondary cast aluminum fell by 4.2pc in Q1 2021 to 98,200mt from 102,500mt in the same period last year. Volumes of aluminum windows and cans also declined by 7.7pc and 2.3pc to 31,000mt and 82,800mt, respectively, during the same period.