Copper smelters in Japan see production rise 3.3% year on year
Based on Reuters calculations on smelters production, Japan’s refined copper production in the first half of the 2026-27 financial year is expected to rise 3.3% year-on-year, propelled by firm demand for copper alloy products and wire for the electricity sector.
The first half of the financial year runs from April to September.
Japan’s largest copper supplier, Pan Pacific Copper (PPC), expects its first-half supply to rise 7.5% from a year earlier, as operating rates at JX Advanced Metals’ smelters are seen to improve, a company spokesperson said.
Pan Pacific Copper, which is 47.8% owned by JX Advanced Metals, 32.2% by Mitsui Mining and Smelting and 20% by Marubeni, outsources smelting and refining operations to its parent companies’ plants. It procures raw materials and sells refined metals.
Last month, the Japan Copper and Brass Association projected a 1.2% increase in domestic demand for copper alloy products in the 2026-27 financial year starting this month, driven by strip products amid healthy global demand for the automotive and semiconductor sectors.
The Japanese forecasts a 0.6% increase in copper wire shipments for the current year, as the replacement of ageing equipment and projected demand for power supply to data centres will boost demand in the electric power sector.
