Japanese aluminium imports hit a peak for the year in October as buyers began restocking after a few months of inactivity.
- Imports of primary aluminium in October increased by 41.8pc from September and 20pc from the previous year, totalling 103,989t. This brought the total imports from January to October to 870,942t, marking a 0.6pc decrease compared with the same period last year, data from the Japanese finance ministry shows.
- India surpassed other major suppliers in October to become the largest supplier for the first time. Japanese buyers maintained low price expectations, pushing many suppliers to redirect their allocation to other markets owing to tight supply.
- Production of domestic aluminium goods in October decreased by 1.1pc year on year to 149,884t, according to the Japan Aluminium Association. Domestic shipments of aluminium products increased slightly by 1.1pc year on year to 151,077t, marking the first rise in three months.
- The car production and construction sectors remained quiet. Japan's domestic automobile production in October was largely stable year on year, but the number of new housing projects decreased by 0.6pc to 68,548 units in September, according to the latest industrial data.
- Japan's imports of secondary aluminium alloy ingots (ADC12) also hit a one-year high in October, increasing by 37.2pc year on year and reaching 110,680t, data from the finance ministry show.
| Japan's aluminium imports | t | |||||
| Oct-24 | Sep-24 | ± % | Jan-Oct 2024 | Jan-Oct 2023 | ± % | |
| India | 22,897 | 1,466 | 1,461.6 | 93,753 | 68,942 | 36.0 |
| Australia | 22,830 | 21,997 | 3.8 | 235,745 | 245,798 | -4.1 |
| Brazil | 14,895 | 11,302 | 31.8 | 142,514 | 137,261 | 3.8 |
| UAE | 10,481 | 5,973 | 75.5 | 93,544 | 76,189 | 22.8 |
| New Zealand | 7,983 | 8,497 | -6.0 | 88,547 | 93,991 | -5.8 |
| South Africa | 5,756 | 7,984 | -27.9 | 63,314 | 56,827 | 11.4 |
| Saudi Arabia | 3,543 | 3,257 | 8.8 | 30,726 | 31,612 | -2.8 |
| Malaysia | 3,199 | 5,807 | -44.9 | 34,438 | 38,443 | -10.4 |
| Bahrain | 2,207 | 878 | 151.3 | 15,645 | 30,463 | -48.6 |
| Russia | 503 | 139 | 260.9 | 22,343 | 70,591 | -68.3 |
| Others | 9,695 | 6,027 | 60.8 | 50,374 | 25,852 | 94.9 |
| Total | 103,989 | 73,327 | 41.8 | 870,942 | 875,969 | -0.6 |
| Source: Ministry of Finance | ||||||
