Japan Copper Scrap Export Drops by 3.2% in 2006

Japanese copper scrap export decreased by 3.2% to 372,842 tonnes in 2006 from 2005, according to Ministry of Finance. The monthly export decreased from a year earlier in several months after June though the export surged in May when international copper ingot price hit record. However, the monthly export kept more than 30,000 tonnes after August except for November due to higher demand in China. The brass turning scrap export decreased by 6% to 12,428 tonnes in 2006 from 2005 though the temporally higher export caused concern in Japanese industry. The monthly export kept as low as less than 1,000 tonnes after April though the export was more than 2,000 tonnes until March. The aluminium scrap export to China increased by 2.2% to 86,956 tonnes in 2006 from 2005 due to higher demand. The lead export to South Korea increased by 30.7% to 7,622 tonnes.