Japan Rare Metal Import Volume Totally Increases in 2010

Japanese rare metal import volume represented year-to-year plus for 17 items among 19 items of trade statistics by Ministry of Finance in 2010. Japanese rare metal users increased material procurement along economic recovery. The import volume increased largely for rare metals used for electronic applications, such as indium, tantalum (potassium fluorotantalate) and lithium (lithium carbonate).

Japanese indium import totaled 417 tonnes in 2010, almost double of 2009. Liquid crystal television sales expanded mainly in China and Japanese sputtering target material makers increased indium procurement for ITO (indium-tin-oxide), which is a material for transparent electrode of liquid crystal panels.

Potassium fluorotantalate import jumped by 2.4 times to 1,055 tonnes in 2010 from 2009. Tantalum capacitor demand recovered for electronic devices while increased for smartphones.

Lithium carbonate import increased by 75% to 14,029 tonnes. Lithium ion battery adoption increased for mobile electronics as well as for automobiles. Related to lithium ion batteries, import volume of cobalt also increased by 17%.

Rare earths import increased by 15% to 5,487 tonnes, though the import temporarily dropped to one sixth of a year earlier in October due to China’s de facto embargo against Japan. Through a full year of 2010, the import volume increased year-to-year along economic recovery.

By countries, Japanese rare metal import increased by 63% to 545 tonnes from Vietnam in 2010 compared with 2009. Showa Denko and other Japanese alloy makers started rare metal recycle in Vietnam and imported recycled metals to Japan. The import ratio from China lowered to 90% in 2010 from 93% in 2009 as a result. The import ratio from Vietnam upped to 10% in 2010 from 7% in 2009.