Japan steel industry feels 'sense of crisis' as imports hit 10-year high
By Yuka Obayashi
TOKYO, Nov 8 (Reuters) -The Japanese steel industry is feeling a "sense of crisis" as the country's steel imports for the April-September period reached a 10-year high, with supply from China hitting a record high, an executive of Nippon Steel 5401.T said on Friday.
"We informed the government that we are closely monitoring overall steel imports and have a sense of crisis regarding the current trend," Takashi Hirose, Nippon Steel's executive vice president, told reporters following the monthly meeting between the industry ministry and steel industry representatives.
Japan, the world's third-largest steel producer, saw steel imports rise to 2.8 million metric tons in the first six months of the current fiscal year ending in March, marking the highest since 2014, according to Hirose.
Ordinary steel imports, excluding special steel, grew 10% from a year earlier to 2.55 million tons, the highest since 2000, with supply from China hitting a record high of 0.48 million tons, Hirose said.
"There is growing concern that the countries like Japan, which have not implemented any trade measures, will become targets for Chinese steel exports," Hirose said, noting many countries have already taken trade action against Chinese steel.
China, the world's largest steel producer and exporter, has
so far in 2024 shipped more than last year's 90.26 million tons, fuelling trade friction with countries ranging from Indonesia and Turkey to the U.S.
Exports in the first 10 months of the year jumped 23% from a year earlier to 91.89 million tons, on track to top 100 million tons for the year.
"We are consulting closely with the Japanese government," Hirose said, though he declined to comment on specifics.
He also declined to address potential impacts from future actions by a U.S. administration under Donald Trump.
The Japanese government may take trade measures if needed in response to growing steel exports from China, an industry ministry official said in October.
Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; editing by David Evans
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