Japan Polished Imports Decline 25.9% in January
March 05, 07 by Edahn Golan
Japan’s polished diamond imports totaled $82.93 million in January, a 25.9 percent decline compared to January 2005. In December, imports totaled $61.7 million. In January, 245,135 carats were imported at an average value of $338.29 per carat (p/c).
According to data released by The J Club Japan, most notable are imports from China, which increased by well over 1,000 percent in volume and in value: 3,526 carats worth $ 1.77 million with an average value of $502.27 p/c. An increase of 1,475.3 percent in volume and 1,113.8 percent in value compared to January 2005.
The only other country that increased exports to Japan in January was Hong Kong. Exports from that center rose 7 percent in volume to 28,726 carats and 40.6 percent in value to reach $6.24 million at an average $217 p/c.
India continues to be Japan’s leading source of polished diamonds. Japan imported 169,268 carats worth $35.39 million from India. This represents a decline of 8.3 percent in volume and 30.5 percent in value year-over-year. The average value of imports from India stood at $209 p/c.
