Japan Wire Rod Import Increases Sharply

Japanese import of wire rod was 40,532 tonnes in November 2005, about 3.5 times as much as a year ago and twice as October 2005, according to the trade statistics by Ministry of Finance. Wire rod import maintained the high level at around 20,000 tonnes per month since March 2005 and it even doubled in November. It is unlikely to exceed 40,000 tonnes after December. However, wire rod imports seem to continue expanding. Japanese wire rod makers need to consider countermeasures.In detail, 91.6% of the wire rod import was from China, 7.8% from South Korea and the rest from Thailand. The unit price of the imports from China was 48,100 yen per tonne with less than 6 millimeters diameter and 46,400 yen per tonne with above 6 millimeters diameter.