Japan is shipping more cement abroad to make up for slack demand at home. The country?s cement exports for fiscal 2015, through this March, are projected to top 10 million tonnes for the first time in four years, according to the Japan Cement Association. The final figure is expected to be more than 6 per cent higher than last year?s.
Thanks in part to the yen?s depreciation in 2015, Japanese cement producers see opportunities for bigger profits on exports. They are looking toward Asian markets, in particular, as demand for cement is growing as construction of ports and other infrastructure picks up.
Singapore is the top destination for Japanese cement. In the April-November period of 2015, the volume rose 18 per cent on the year to 2.37 million tonnes. Quite a bit of it is being used in airport and subway construction. Australia-bound cement exports stood at 1.13 million tonnes, up 13 per cent from a year earlier.
Overseas customers are becoming more diverse, too. Exports to Kenya and the Philippines are surging, though volumes are still modest.