Japanese iron ore imports during October fell compared with a year earlier on reduced supplies from Brazil, Canada and the US with the continuing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Japan's total iron ore imports for October continued to fall compared with a year earlier, down by 12.1pc to 8.9mn t. But imports increased by 9.8pc from the previous month with domestic crude steel production rising by 11pc to 7.2mn t.
| Japan iron ore imports ('000t) | ||||||
| Oct '20 | Oct '19 | ± % | Jan-Oct 2020 | Jan-Oct 2019 | ± % | |
| Australia | 5,679 | 5,237 | 8 | 46,685 | 57,013 | -18 |
| Brazil | 2,262 | 2,613 | -13 | 21,642 | 26,067 | -17 |
| Canada | 534 | 1,135 | -53 | 4,971 | 6,252 | -20 |
| US | 0 | 396 | -100 | 1,175 | 1,718 | -32 |
| New Zealand | 0 | 0.1 | -100 | 83 | 83 | 0 |
| India | 162 | 67 | 140 | 1,345 | 1,593 | -16 |
| China | 0 | 216 | -100 | 397 | 968 | -59 |
| South Africa | 246 | 81 | 204 | 2,819 | 2,956 | -5 |
| Russia | 0 | 0 | 0 | 313 | 142 | 120 |
| Mauritania | 0 | 151 | -100 | 452 | 902 | -50 |
| Chile | 0 | 0 | 0 | 152 | 103 | 47 |
| Peru | 0 | 0 | 0 | 453 | 455 | -0 |
| Ukraine | 40 | 251 | -84 | 134 | 1,342 | -90 |
| Sweden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163 | -100 |
| South Korea | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Urguay | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 8,923 | 10,148 | -12 | 80,621 | 99,758 | -19 |
| Source: Japan finance ministry | ||||||
