Japan Output of Zinc Metal Up, Copper Products Down in March

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry announced Japanese domestic zinc metal production and shipment increased in March from a year earlier while electrolytic silver output and electrolytic copper shipment decreased. As to metal fabricated products, domestic output and shipment of copper rolled products and copper electric cable decreased in March compared with a year earlier, those of which represented year-to-year down for 2 months in a row.Zinc metal production owed the monthly increase to Toho Zinc’s output expansion. Production and shipment of copper rolled products decreased when the users regulated their purchasing volume due to extremely high copper price and the actual demand weakened for automobiles and semiconductors. Copper cable production and shipment downed due to export decrease in March, while the demand was steady for domestic constructions which accounts for approximately 50% of total domestic cable shipment.