Japan's primary aluminium imports fell by 11pc on the year but rose by 11pc on the month to 93,000t in October, customs data show. Imports in January-October totalled 928,000t, up by 6.6pc from the same period in 2024.
Brazil was Japan's largest supplier in October at 21,000t, up by 75pc from September. Australia shipped 14,500t, while India delivered 13,700t, more than six-fold higher from September levels.
Japan's flat-rolled aluminium output rose by 1.2pc on the year to 93,500t in October, supported by exports on the back of weaker domestic demand in key sectors, Japan Aluminium Association (JAA) data show. Shipments rose by 2.1pc to 94,500t in the month. Exports of can stock fell by 1.4pc on the year to around 32,500t, while deliveries to the automotive sector dropped by 6.6pc to around 17,400t. Japanese passenger car production totalled 649,000 units in September, down by 1.1pc on the year, while passenger car exports fell by 2.7pc to 324,000 units, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).
Output and shipments of extruded products fell on the year by 3.5pc and 1.9pc to around 55,500t and 57,400t respectively, because of weak demand from the construction sector, JAA said. Housing starts fell by 7.3pc on the year to 63,600 units in September, according to the land and infrastructure ministry of Japan. But housing starts rebounded in October, rising by 3.2pc on the year and 13pc on the month to 71,900 units, marking the first annual increase since March. This is expected to support shipments of extruded products to the construction sector in the coming months.
Output of aluminium foil fell by 4.5pc on the year to around 8,600t in October, while shipments dropped by 4.8pc to about 8,000t. Sluggish automotive demand has curbed consumption of consumer-use lithium-ion batteries and weighed on demand for aluminium foil that is used in battery production. Demand from the food sector for aluminium foil used in packaging also remained weak because high food costs continued to dampen appetite, JAA said.
Japan's imports of secondary aluminium alloy ingots (ADC12) dropped by 16pc on the year to 92,500t in October.
