Zinc Output Sliding in Japan to Send Imports to 11-Year High

Zinc production in Japan will slump by at least 9 percent this year after the March earthquake, doubling imports to the highest level in 11 years, said the country’s top producer of the metal used to galvanize steel.

The world’s third-biggest economy will likely produce about 542,000 metric tons, down from an estimate of 597,000 tons before the disaster, said Nobuyuki Nakamoto, general manager at Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co.’s zinc business. The country may import as much as 80,000 tons this year, the highest level since 2000, he said in an interview in Tokyo.