Japan's rolled aluminium product exports down 7% during January-April 2019; imports register a jump of 37%

Japan is Asia's top importer of aluminium as it has stopped producing primary metal altogether shifting its focus towards value added applications and in secondary recovery. The premiums for primary metal shipments Japan pays each quarter over the London Metal Exchange cash price set the benchmark for the Asia region. 

However the country is a key producer of aluminium rolled products. The two major rolled product manufacturers in the country are Kobe Steel and Aluminium and UACJ Corporation which make aluminium plates, pre coated sheets and various rolling products for value added applications. Let’s analyse Japan’s foreign trade trends for aluminium rolled products in 2018 and in the first four months of 2019.

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Japan has a trade surplus for aluminium rolled products. In the year 2018, Japan imported 205,000 tonnes of aluminium rolled products while export stood at 296,000 tonnes. Year over year exports show a downward trend and imports are on the rise.

As we see in the statistics from Japan Aluminium Association, Japan’s import of aluminium rolled products has increased in the first four months of 2019 totalling at 82,000 tonnes, about 37% increase from 60,000 tonnes imported in the same period of 2018. At this rate total import of aluminium rolled product is estimated to stand at about 328,000 tonnes in 2019.

As for export is concerned, Japan exported 90,000 tonnes of aluminium rolled products in the first four months of 2019, a drop of 7% from 97,100 tonnes exported in the same period of 2018. At this rate total export of aluminium rolled product is estimated to stand at about 388,000 tonnes.

Overall production of flat rolled products in Japan stood at 386,000 tonnes in the first four months of 2019, a drop of 5% from YTD 2018. On the other hand, strict restrictive trade policies of Trump in the U.S. against semi-finished import from China has diverted its semi-finished aluminium exports  to other destinations in Asia leading to an influx of aluminium  product imports in a number of Asian countries including Japan.