Japan Indium Import Drops by 30% in July

Japanese indium import decreased by 30% to 28 tonnes in July from a year earlier while the imported unit price downed by 14.8% to CIF 78,377 yen per kilogram, according to the trade statistics by Ministry of Finance. Sputtering target makers keep the operation with indium inventory built last year when the domestic demand is under recovery for flat panel displays. The rare earth import decreased slightly to 633 tonnes in July from a year earlier. The averaged price increased by 2.2 times at 3,693 yen per kilogram under higher international spot market. The rare earth demand increases for hard disc drive and automobile. However, the users apparently reduced the purchase volume due to higher neodymium price. The import of lanthanum, which is used for ceramic capacitor and as glass making additive, import increased by 25.8%. The import of yttrium, which is used for luminophor, increased by 37.9%.