Japan Jan aluminium shipments fall to 26-year low

TOKYO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Japanese shipments of aluminium products fell to a 26-year low in January and posted the largest drop in 28 years, hit by weak demand as the global economy deteriorated, industry data showed on Friday. Industry officials say demand for aluminium in Japan shows no sign of recovering as leading automakers, top buyers of the metal which is also used in packaging, keep limiting production due to tumbling exports. Japanese shipments of aluminium products fell 30.7 percent in January from a year earlier to 122,193 tonnes, according to data from the Japan Aluminium Association. Shipments in January were the lowest since the same month in 1983, and the drop was the largest since a 32.5 percent fall in November 1980, the official said. The preliminary figures showed January output of aluminium mill products slumped 32.1 percent year-on-year to 117,261 tonnes, the lowest since January 1983, an official said. For a breakdown of the data, click on . The association said last month it planned to give this year's demand outlook in March and said the decline in shipments and output of aluminium products was likely to accelerate further in the January-March quarter. Demand for aluminium, used in construction, transport and packaging, has been hit by the economic downturn, which has taken a toll on the broader economy. Stocks of the metal at three major Japanese ports hit a 10-year high in January, rising 14.8 percent from a month earlier to 363,200 tonnes, according to Marubeni Corp. [ID:nT40783] The Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers' Association said earlier this week that Japanese copper wire and cable shipments fell 21.2 percent from a year earlier.