Japan net importer of met coke in CY'21

ABSTRACT

Japan recorded metallurgical (met) coke imports at 2.25 mnt in CY'21, thus, becoming the net importer of the material. The country's imports increased substantially in CY'21 against 0.39 mnt seen in CY'20 as the major met coke producer and supplier, Nippon Steel, temporarily suspended some of the coke ovens at its Kimitsu plant for two years, leading to shortage in the domestic market. This led steelmakers to increase their reliance on imports to meet their coke requirement.