Fast Market Research recommends "Japan Metals Report Q1 2013" from Business Monitor International, now available

Boston, MA -- (SBWire) -- 03/12/2013 --BMI View: The earthquake in Japan in 2011 will have a significant bearing on the country's metals industry for years to come. In the short term, the disruption halted production at several copper and aluminium refineries. It is also set to hurt demand as the economy has now slipped back into recession. However, we expect demand and supply of metals to pick up as reconstruction efforts continue. Steel and aluminium are the two sectors most likely to benefit as much of Japan's infrastructure around the epicentre of the earthquake has been damaged.

Over the long term we expect production and consumption trends to fall back to low single figures, in line with growth forecasts for the Japanese economy as a whole. Japan remains one of the largest producers and consumers of these metals, but faces a declining share of world output and demand, as China and up-andcoming India, rapidly increase production and consumption in most metals.

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Although steel prices have dipped since the start of 2012, we expect to see a rebound in 2013 (see our online service, 'Steel To Average US$360/tonne In 2013'). Although we expect steel production to rebound on the back of increased demand as construction efforts get underway, it will be short-lived with production growth experiencing a steady decline from 2014-2016.

Overall, we expect production of refined metals to outpace growth in demand, leading to an output surplus over the coming years. Indeed, we expect Japan to become a larger net nickel exporter from 2013. We therefore expect Japan's exports of refined metals to increase, with the primary export market being China, a market we expect to remain reliant on imported metals, at least in the short to medium term.

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