Japan’s rare earth imports see continued decline as China’s trade limits continue

China’s exports of key materials to Japan remained on a downward trend in August, reports the South China Morning Post. Shipment volume of rare earth magnets fell 17.1% from a year earlier.

China exported about 212 tons of rare earth permanent magnets to Japan last month, down from nearly 256 tons a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data released on Sunday. That followed a 52.2% year-on-year drop in July.

Other rare earth products and critical materials also recorded declines last month. Exports of rare earth metals to Japan fell 11.2% year-on-year, while exports of rare earth compounds dropped 48%. Exports of natural flake graphite and other natural graphite fell 36.5% and 77.1%, respectively, while exports of unwrought tungsten plunged 94.7%.