Japan's steel exports decreased by 8.6 percent in January-May 2026

According to customs statistics published by the Japanese Federation of Ferrous Metallurgy (JISF), in May of this year, exports of iron and steel products from Japan amounted to 2.38 million metric tons, an increase of 4.3 percent month-on-month, but a decrease of 5.7 percent year-on-year.

In the period from January to May of this year, exports of iron and steel products from Japan amounted to 11.65 million tons, which is 8.6 percent more than in the same period of the previous year.

As for the main export markets of Japan's ferrous metallurgy products, in the first five months of this year, the country's iron and steel exports to South Korea totaled 1.69 million metric tons, up 4.1 percent, while exports to Thailand decreased by 2.6 percent to 1.68 million metric tons. Exports to China totaled 855,930 tons, down 11.2 percent, exports to Taiwan totaled 562,720 tons, down 37.5 percent, and exports to the United States totaled 552,644 tons, up 25.1 percent from the same period last year

Export
	May (MT)	Change m-to-m (%)	January-May (mt)	YoY change (%)
Semi-finished products	188 101	-3.5	944 286	-26.1
Bars	17,329	+0.2	94,221	+83.0
Wire rod	31,193	+32.2	185 482	-4.7
Heavy plates	189 592	-16.3	1 000 464	-10.6
HRC	863 448	+2,4	4 253 362	-10.4
CRC	91818	-10.4	537579	-13.4
Galvanized sheet	166670	+19.3	808356	+5.4