Japan Rare Metal Import Maintains Low in March

Japanese rare metal import widely decreased in March from a year earlier due to inventory adjustment by the consumers. According to Ministry of Finance, rare earth metals import deceased by 65.9% to 181 tonnes in March from a year earlier, when the demand was stagnant along output reductions of automobiles and electric appliances. Machine tool makers’ low order receipts also led the decrease of rare earth metals import. Rare earth metals are mainly used for permanent magnets, such as neodymium-iron-boron magnet.

Import of rare earth oxide widely decreased as well. Cerium oxide import decreased by 56.6% year-on-year in March, used for glass polishing of liquid crystal panels, and lanthanum oxide import dropped by 96.9%, used as catalyst. Yttrium oxide import decreased by 23.7%, used as phosphors. The consumers seemed to pass material procurement under slow economy.

Among electronic materials, lithium carbonate import decreased by 77.4% year-on-year in March, applied into secondary batteries, and strontium carbonate import decreased by 86.2%, used as additives for glass or ferrite. Along steel makers’ low operations, molybdenum concentrate import decreased by 39.6%.