Japan Zinc Import Hits 11-Year High in April

Japanese electrolytic zinc import increased to 12 times at 29,792 tonnes in April compared with a year earlier level, which was more than import volume in calendar 2010, announced by Ministry of Finance on Tuesday. Japanese industry increased the import to cover production loss after the major earthquake. The import of electrolytic copper also increased to 6 times at 25,131 tonnes.

The zinc import in April was 11-year high after 32,634 tonnes in April 2000. The import was 8,992 tonnes from Australia, 5,515 tonnes from Peru and 5,063 tonnes from South Korea. The electrolytic copper import in April represented 45% of annual import in 2010. The import in April was 10-year high topping 24,304 tonnes in April 2001.

Japanese electrolytic copper export decreased by 55% to 19,951 tonnes in April from a year earlier. The export to China decreased to a third at 6,811 tonnes. The export of zinc ingot with 99.99% or more purity decreased to a fourth at 1,069 tonnes. The copper scrap export increased by 2% to 28,993 tonnes, which increased for 3 months in a row. The export increased by 0.5% to 26,062 tonnes for China.