Japan Al Ingot Import Rises by 49% in August

Japanese aluminium ingot import increased by 49% to 156,667 tonnes in August from a year earlier, according to Ministry of Finance. The import of alloyed aluminium ingot increased by 32% to 87,875 tonnes, which was slightly higher than 87,126 tonnes in August 2008 or before Lehman shock level. Strong automobile demand lifted the import volume.

The electrolytic copper import increased by 17% to 3,880 tonnes in August from a year earlier while copper anode import was 1,680 tonnes compared with zero in August 2009. The scrap import also increased for copper, brass and bronze scrap under tight domestic supply.

The electrolytic zinc import increased to 13 times at 3,161 tonnes in August from a year earlier. The electrolytic lead import increased by 48% while the import volume decreased to less than 1,000 tonnes for the first time in 3 months.