Steel trade woes continue for Japan

Japan's ordinary steel exports during November rose for the first time in four months to reach 1.78 million tonnes, higher by 3% from November last year, new data from the Japan Iron & Steel Federation (JISF) show. However, during the same month, China exported 9.28 million tonnes, up 16% on year, as Mysteel Global reported, meaning that Japan once the world's largest steel exporting nation shipped on one month what China shipped in less than six days.

"China's export quantity of steel products has become its largest ever," observed JISF chairman (and Nippon Steel COO) Tadashi Imai on December 25. "State-owned (Chinese) steelmakers account for a half of all steelmakers .. and more than half of steelmakers are reporting a deficit and are operating without reducing