Japan has sharply increased its imports of recycled tungsten scrap from the U.S. amid Chinese export restrictions on the critical metal for automotive, electronics, and defense industries, Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday.
US shipments to Japan jumped to 590,000 kilograms in the first quarter of this year, a 24-fold increase compared to all of 2025, the news agency said.
Overall, US exports of recycled tungsten nearly tripled year-on-year, with most shipments going to Asian markets excluding China, the publication said.
The shift comes as China, which controls 80% of the global tungsten market, has effectively halted its exports to Japan since February, the report said.
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