Japan’s imports of refined tin rose by 1.6% to 27,096 tonnes last year, recovering slightly after a sharp fall in 2011. Indonesian tin increased its share of the Japanese market in 2012 to 54.9%, according to an analysis by trade house Mitsubishi Corporation Unimetals. The other two main suppliers were Thailand (29.9%) and Malaysia (8.1%).
The Japanese market was considerably disrupted in 2011 by the earthquake and tsunami early in the year and restrictions on Indonesian supplies at the end of that year, so we believe that the small growth in imports in 2012 reflects stock movements rather than a real improvement in tin use.
