Japan Nonferrous Metal Scrap Import Increases in June

Japanese copper scrap import increased by 64.9% to 5,641 tonnes in June 2006 from a year earlier, the highest level since October 2004, according to the trade statistics by Ministry of Finance. The averaged unit price increased to 760.6 yen per kilogram increasing by more than double in June 2006 from June 2005. Copper alloy products makers are actively purchasing copper scrap under the strong demand condition even at the high price.The import volume increased by 39.5% for brass and bronze scrap and by 50.3% for copper alloy scrap in June from a year earlier. Japanese copper alloy products makers maintain strong purchasing stances with strong demand for digital appliances and manufacturing industries’ capital investments, though copper alloy products demand is partly entering the adjustment phase for automotive parts.The averaged unit price of imported copper scrap increased by 142.8 yen per kg in June 2006 from the previous month. The price increased by 128.2 yen per kg for brass and bronze scrap and by 70.1 yen per kg for copper alloy scrap.The import volume of aluminium scrap also increased in June 2006 when Japanese secondary aluminium ingot makers keep full operation. The import increased by 2.2 times to 1,177 tonnes for aluminium scrap and by 24% to 9,750 tonnes for aluminium alloy scrap in June 2006 from a year earlier. The import of aluminium alloy ingot increased by 26.8% to 101,711 tonnes.