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Electrodeposited copper foil manufacturers in Japan are to increase purchasing of copper scrap in May. Some dealers have already agreed to supply the increased quantity, however, scrap generation remains low due to the ongoing industrial and building construction slowdown. It has been reported that since the beginning of the year, Japanese copper foil makers have cut their copper scrap procurement by 50%. According to the new plans, copper foil producers intend to double copper scrap buying compared to January-April.

According to preliminary data released by the Japan Copper and Brass Association, production of rolled copper and alloy semis in April fell by 48.6% y-o-y to an estimated 44,420t. Compared with March, the figure represents a 28.7% rise, however, April was the 9th consecutive month that production fell. The Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association said last week that copper wire and cable sales in April dropped by 26.3% y-o-y and 18.8% m-o-m to an estimated 52,200t. The deep economic downturn continues to take its toll on copper consumption in the world's second largest economy.

According to data released by the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association, wire and cable shipments in Japan amounted to an estimated 50,100t in August compared to 58,032t in July. On a y-o-y basis, that was a decline of 17.7%. While there are signs that market demand is improving, the figure indicates that the widely expected economic recovery is not solid yet.

Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., Yazaki Corp. and other automotive wiring harness manufacturers have temporarily shut down some of their production lines in Thailand. This follows the severe flooding which directly led to Honda Motor Co. closing down local assembly lines at its factory in Bangkok as well as Toyota Motor Co. shutting down its three plants in Eastern Thailand due to parts shortages.

JX Nippon Mining & Metals, an integrated Japan-based refined copper and semi-finished products fabricator, began full-scale production of an ultrathin rolled copper foil, measuring between 6 and 9 microns in thickness. The new products are suitable for use in smartphones and tablet PCs. Advances made in the company's rolling and surface roughening process technology led to the development of the new products. The company estimates that it holds a 75% global market share of treated rolled copper foil, which finds its main application in flexible printed circuit boards for mobile devices.

SuperPower Inc, a subsidiary of Furukawa Electric, announced on 7th December that it plans to double the production capacity of superconducting wirerod at its US plant in 2013. The company said it anticipates demand for the wirerod, which is used in areas such as superconducting magnetic energy storage, will increase over the next four to five years, and that it is intending to raise production to meet the new demand.

Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) announced that it will build automotive wiring harness plants in Cambodia and the Philippines to reduce the risks of production concentration in China. SEI said that a labour shortage and wage hikes are occurring in China. It was also reported that Brazil is important to SEI because it is "friendly to Japan and rich in natural resources." The company aims to increase the proportion of overseas sales to 50% in FY2011, up from 40% in FY2009. With a view to expanding overseas operations Sumitomo will promote competent employees to executive posts regardless of nationality.

It was reported that the copper industry faces ongoing disruptions due to the devastating earthquake in Japan. Mitsui Mining & Smelting said that there are still plant suspensions at several sites in Saitama, Fukushima and Aomori Prefectures. Electrolytic copper foil production in Ageo, Saitama, has been suspended since 11th March. In addition, Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) said that Daikoku Electric Wire's sites in Tochigi and Iwate Prefectures continue to be impacted. Daikoku Electric is a subsidiary of SEI and engages in the production of magnet wire.

According to data released by the Japan Copper and Brass Association, Japanese copper semis output advanced by 1% y-o-y to 70,000t in February 2011. The figure was down by 0.4% from January. It was reported that steady demand from the automotive sector, generated by strong emerging markets, offset a slower than expected recovery in the semiconductor industry. However, the association expects that output in March is likely to fall due to the impact of the earthquake. Fabricators experience supply chain disruptions, fuel shortages and power outages.

The Japan Copper and Brass Association reported that copper semis production amounted to 70,699t in April, a rise of 3.1% m-o-m on a seasonally adjusted basis, and almost flat y-o-y. This was principally attributed to fabricators ramping up production after the government revoked its schedule of rolling power cuts which were employed in March following the earthquake. In addition to this, increased demand from the air conditioning sector and further anticipated power outages over the summer are likely to have supported producers' decisions to increase production in April.

The Japan Copper and Brass Association said that copper semis output in Japan fell by 17% y-o-y to 66,145t in September. But from a m-o-m perspective, September rose by 5%, the sixth consecutive monthly improvement. It was reported that even though it was the 14th y-o-y decline, the decrease narrowed supported by the pick up in demand from the semiconductor, automobile and electronics industries. It is expected that demand in FY2009 will amount to 713,930t; that will be the lowest level since FY1975 and will represent an 11% contraction compared with FY2008.

Indian copper miner Hindustan Copper Limited said that demand for copper and copper prices are expected to rise due to the reconstruction work in Japan after the earthquake. It was reported that Japan accounts for about 5% of global copper demand but this will increase as long as reconstruction begins. However, the global demand outlook is negatively impacted by the ongoing unrest in Libya and high oil prices.

Data released by the Japan Copper and Brass Association showed that copper semis output rose to 72,328t in May 2011, a 2.4% m-o-m and 0.1% y-o-y increase. Production was supported by strong demand from energy efficient air conditioner makers, who raised production ahead of the peak demand season. This compensated for weak demand from the semiconductor and automotive sectors.

According to preliminary data from the Japan Copper and Brass Association, output of copper semis products from Japanese mills declined 4.8% y-o-y in February, to 60,949t. The output of alloy tubes and copper wires declined at the fastest rate in February, falling 38% y-o-y and 20% y-o-y respectively. However, the output of copper flat-rolled products bucked the trend with copper sheet output increasing by 23% y-o-y to 1,468t.

According to Tetsu Takahashi, chairman of the Japan Copper & Brass Association, Japanese production of copper and alloy semi-finished products will total 770,000t in 2012, the lowest level since 2009. However, the association is more positive on the prospects for 2013 suggesting that output could expand by 4%, supported by a weaker yen and more accommodative government policies. The association believes that the new government's efforts to reconstruct areas damaged by the 2011 earthquake, as well as the possibility for a rebound in autos exports to China, should lift the demand for Japanese semis in 2013.

According to preliminary data released by the Japan Copper and Brass Association, Japanese output of brass mill products declined by 5.5% y-o-y in December, to 57,523t. If the data remains unchanged, this would see the overall output of Japanese brass mill products in 2012 fall 6.7% y-o-y. This is roughly in line with the rate of decline predicted by Tetsu Takahashi, President of the association, in a December announcement. The association is more positive on the prospects for 2013 suggesting that output could expand by 4%, supported by a weaker Yen and more accommodative government policies.

Japan's domestic shipments of residential air conditioners rose 12 percent in March from a year earlier to 678,736 units, the Japan Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Industry Association said.

The Japan Copper and Brass Association anticipates that the production of rolled copper products will reach 825,300t in the 2012/2013 financial year, up 2.4% y-o-y. The organisation attributes this projected increase to brighter economic prospects, a prospering automotive sector and increased government reconstruction investment.This year, output declined 6.6% y-o-y. In February alone, production reached 64,076t, up 0.9% m-o-m, but down 8.5% y-o-y.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. announced that its magnet wire producing subsidiary Furukawa Magnet Wire has co-developed a rectangular magnet wire with a voltage resistance of up to 1,400-1,500V. The higher voltage rating and shape factor is believed to make the cable suitable for motors within small hybrid energy vehicles (HEVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). The company is supplying Toyota with this magnet wire for use in its 'AQUA' HEV. Furukawa will expand monthly production at its plant in Mie, Japan by 50% to 300t in this fiscal year to meet demand from rising production of AQUA and to supply other HEV/EV manufacturers.

The Japan Copper and Brass Association released an estimate of the total domestic fabrication of copper and copper alloy products in November, which showed that production fell by 10.4% y-o-y to 65,940t. Copper strip production amounted to 18,240t, down by 18% in November and has experienced year-on-year declines for twelve consecutive months. The segment was negatively impacted by weak demand from the semiconductor and electronic industries since autumn 2011. Conversely, brass strip output rose by 3.3% y-o-y to reach 9,895t in November supported by a rebounding automotive sector. Copper tube output in November amounted to 9,895t, down by 20% y-o-y, due to base year effects caused by a rise in production after the hot summer in 2010 (the November level is higher than the same month of 2009). Brass bar output contracted by 5.3% y-o-y in November to reach 14,993t attributed to weak end-use demand from the Japanese construction and electrical sectors, especially in the latter half of this year.

Japan's shipments of wire and cable reached 58,400t in December 2011, up 2.9% y-o-y. Nevertheless, the figure is down 3.6% from November's shipments of 60,429t. Strong demand came from the recovering automotive industry and an improving construction sector.

Imports of copper tube to Japan fell by 36% m-o-m in September to reach 1,271t according to Japan's Ministry of Finance. September's import total was up by 44% y-o-y but still represents the lowest level seen since February 2011. The situation is attributed to recent copper tube supply being very tight due to record air conditioner sales between February 2010 and September 2011 that peaked in August 2011. Since then, there has been a significant easing in copper tube availability as air conditioner manufacturers have opted to drawdown stocks, effectively reducing tube demand. The market is expected to tighten again in 2012 if Hitachi Cable executes its plans to exit from domestic copper tube production.

Japan Metal Daily has reported that Furukawa Electric has introduced a 500t/y copper wirerod production line at its subsidiary, Shenyang Furukawa Cable in China. The wirerod is used to produce conductors, which were previously purchased from outside the company. The development of the production line is part of Furukawa's move to shift more production in-house.