Japan's imports of stainless CRC rose 33 percent in April

According to the latest statistics released by the Japanese Ministry of Finance (MoF), imports of stainless cold rolled coils (CRC) of the country increased significantly in April 2014 compared to the previous year.

Japan imported 10,214 tons of CRC stainless in April this year. Compared to the previous month, imports fell by 10 percent, as the country's CRC imports in March this year amounted to 11,349 tons. However, imports in April 2014 were 33 percent higher than in April of the previous year.

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The cumulative imports of stainless cold rolled coils in the country during the first four months of this year amounted to 106,601 tons. This suggests that CRC imports rose 34.5 percent compared to imports during January-April last year.

South Korea was the largest exporter of CRC stainless during the four month period this year. CRC imports from Korea reached 90,312 tons, accounting for nearly 85 percent of Japan's total imports over the period. During April 2014, imports from Korea recorded an annualized growth of more than 35 percent.

Taiwan is the second largest exporter of cold rolled coils to Japan. The country's CRC imports from Taiwan totaled 11,531 tonnes in January-April 2014. Imports from Taiwan increased significantly over the previous year. The growth was over 49 percent.