Japan Copper Import Down, Export Up in August

Japanese import of electrolytic copper (cathode copper) decreased by 10.2% to 3,083 tonnes in August from a year ago, according to trade statistics by Ministry of Finance. Copper metal users such as electric cable makers and copper alloy fabricators decreased their output when copper metal price hit historically high. Primary aluminium import also decreased by 15.5% in August from a year earlier due to lower operation at domestic aluminium rolled product makers. Aluminium alloy ingot import increased by 3.8% contrarily thanks to active demand from automotive industries. Electrolytic lead import decreased by 49.7% and tin ingot by 26.4% in August from a year earlier to reflect worldwide supply shortage caused by export regulations in major supply countries.Japanese export of electrolytic copper (cathode copper) increased by 55.4% to 37,217 tonnes in August from a year ago. The export increased by 76.2% for China, the largest importer of Japanese electrolytic copper, while expanded to 4.6 times or 3,174 tonnes for South Korea. Japanese copper scrap export also increased by 0.9% in August from a year earlier.