Japan's coking coal imports fell in April with production curbs in the automotive sector, while metallurgical coke imports extended gains for the third consecutive month to hit a near six-year high. Japan imported 5.12mn t of coking coal in April, down by 3pc from March and down by 17pc from a year earlier, according to finance ministry data. January-April imports fell by 9pc from a year earlier to 21mn t. Japan's metallurgical coke imports rose to 289,722t in April, the highest level since October 2015. The April imports were an increase of 31pc from March's high of 220,915t and a fourfold increase from a year earlier. Almost all of Japan's met coke imports came from China.
April coking coal imports from top supplier Australia fell from the previous month, as Japanese crude steel production remained under pressure with weakening steel demand from the automotive sector. The global semiconductor chips shortage continued to weigh on Japanese domestic car production as auto producers posted sharp output cuts. An extended Covid-19 state of emergency period to more areas of Japan is further weighing on the country's economic outlook. The Argus spot price assessment for premium low-volatile hard coking coal averaged $111.11/t fob Australia in April, down by 4.6pc from $116.48/t in March.