Market Report, "Japan Mining Report 2014", published

Japan 's mining sector will experience modest growth ove r the coming years due to the lack of mineral wealth and the downturn in commodity prices. We forecast the country's mining industry value to reach USD4.0bn by 2018, growing at a modest clip of 1.4% per annum.

The lack of non-ferrous and precious metal reserves will continue to stifle capital flows into the domestic mining sector. While rich deposits of rare earths have been discovered on the seabed, we believe the development of these resources is unlikely to take place over our forecast period to 2018. Low rare earth prices by historical standards and rising environmental concerns suggest that the path towards seabed mining will not be smooth sailing.

Our forecast for mineral prices including copper and iron ore to head lower over the coming years will also reduce the incentives for mining projects. Mining firms across the board are slashing their capital expenditure on greenfield projects, choosing instead to focus on the development of their brownfield assets. Nonetheless, there is still cause for optimism in Japan's gold mining sector. Despite our downbeat view on gold prices, we expect Japan's gold mine production to increase at a modest clip of 2.9% per annum between 2014 and 2018. Indeed, the Hishikari gold mine owned by Sumitomo Metal Mining (Sumitomo) enjoys generally lower production costs due to its high-grade gold reserves. Furthermore, Sumitomo announced its plans to spend JPY0.4bn (USD3.9mn) on the development of a newly confirmed ore body at the gold mine in May 2014. Hishikari is the only domestic gold mine being operated on a commercial scale in Japan at present.

Full Report Details at
- http://www.fastmr.com/prod/837690_japan_mining_report_2014.aspx?afid=301

The Japan Mining Report has been researched at source and features Business Monitor International (BMI)'s mining and commodity forecasts for metals, minerals and gems, covering all major indicators including reserves, production, exports and values. The report also analyses trends and prospects, national and multinational companies and changes in the regulatory environment.

BMI's Japan Mining Report provides industry strategists, service companies, company analysts and consultants, government departments, trade associations and regulatory bodies with BMI's independent forecasts and competitive intelligence on the mining industry in Japan.

Key Benefits

* Use BMI's independent industry forecasts on Japan to test other views - a key input for successful budgeting and planning in this mining market.
* Target business opportunities and risks in Japan's mining sector through our reviews of latest mining industry trends, regulatory changes and major deals, projects and investments in Japan.
* Assess the activities, strategy and market position of your competitors, partners and clients via our Company Profiles (inc. KPIs and latest activity), Key Projects Tables and Competitive Landscape Tables.

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