Japanese cathode copper export increased by 21% to 57,724 tonnes in March from a year earlier, according to the trade statics by Ministry of Finance. The export to China decreased by 5% to 23,202 tonnes while the export increased to Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and South Korea.
Copper scrap export expanded by 26% to 35,946 tonnes in March from a year earlier and hit the highest volume since April 2009. The export to China increased by 28% to 33,114 tonnes. Copper scrap market price was expected to rise along with electrolytic copper price upsurge at London Metal Exchange. The seasonal demand also increased the volume at the end of Japanese major fiscal year. Additionally weaker yen exchange rate stimulated the export shipment. Rectified zinc (puritiy with 99.99% or more) export jumped by 7 times to 15,855 tonnes in March from a year earlier. The export to Malaysia jumped to 6,414 tonnes from zero in March 2011. The export to China expanded by 9 times to 5,028 tonnes. Aluminium scrap export increased by 43% to 12,859 tonnes in March from a year earlier. The export to China increased by 45% to 8,252 tonnes. Chinese demand was strong when secondary aluminium alloy production strongly increased in the country.