Japan Plate Export Hits First Increase in 2 Months

Japanese plate steel export increased by 9.1% to 329,658 tonnes in November from a year earlier, which increased for the first time in 2 months, according to Ministry of Finance. The export increased by 40.3% to 79,402 tonnes to China. The averaged export price decreased by around 2,000 yen to around 67,000 yen per tonne in November from October.

Japanese plate import decreased by 47.6% to 20,107 tonnes in November from a year earlier, which decreased for the first time in 3 months. The export decreased from temporarily high level in November 2009 with higher export to Australia. The export level kept more than 20,000 tonnes for 3 months since September. The averaged import price increased by around 1,000 yen to around 70,000 yen per tonne in November from October.