ASUKAALUMINIUMNEWS NO. 666 DECEMBER 2016
2016
Comparison of year end metals prices 20152015-2016
Staple prices of major metals
There was no obvious change at the market prices of major practical metals, steel,aluminum and copper, between in the end of 2015 and 2016 on a yen basis.
The prices showed an increase of ten per cent in US dollar, but the yen went up ten
percent against US dollar. Accordingly, the prices in yen were almost unchanged afterall.
The movement of metals’ market has been affected by the energy prices’ change,however today, Chinese over production capacity and its operation rates with thegovernment policy are big factors on the market changes.
Outlook in 2017
Trump new president’s the U.S. government is going to start in New Year. During
the president election, he insisted a protective trade policy clearly and powerfully.
Consequently, the new government will part from the traditional principal of freetrade.
When the import of industrial products are reduced, or raised by the higher importtax, U.S. citizens’ life will be strained necessarily. At the same time, the most export
countries will be shrunk by smaller buyer.
Everyone in the world watches this big U.S. turnabout in breathless suspense.
Note for the table on page one(1) primary aluminum (2) zinc diecast alloy (3) copper listed (4) lead listed(5) zinc listed (6) tin (7) nickel (8) steel bar (9) steel sheet (10) steel scrap(11) aluminum scrap TENSE <US cent/lb>(12) fuel oil <yen/liter>(13) gold<yen/gram> (14) yen/US dollar
Unit: yen/ton except (11), (12), (13) and (14).
Our winter holidays
We are pleased to announce that our winter holidays are as follows.
December 30 (Friday) ~ January 5 (Thursday)
The 33rd New Year Praying Meeting is held
It is recently announced that the 33rd New Year Praying Meeting will be held on
January 20 at the Kira Kanko Hotel in Mikawa Bay National Park, where the 80 ofdelegates from scrap suppliers are invited.
At first, President Takashi Amano will have a talk entitled “New Year random talk”
at the hotel, and then all attendants are going to visit Kannon Temple on the top of Mt.
Sangane by bus.
The Praying Meeting for business prosperity and traffic safety in the New Year will
be held solemnly at the temple, and then a grand New Year party will open in
traditional Japanese fashion at the hotel. Since it has been one of the biggest events ofAsuka, every arrangement is going on powerfully.
The photo on page two is the Kira Kanko Hotel.

Yearend comment
Future of TPP
Hisashi Amano, Chairman
New international circumstances
The recent prominent power to toward conservation in the U.K. and in the U.S.
brings a chaotic state to world politics and economy. I understand that this movementof two big countries’ anti-globalization means a denial of international commonsense“Big states must aid small states.”, and its start is caused by their economic stagnationand growth slowdown.
Today, it is too difficult to estimate that what changes this nation-state policy would
give both citizens’ life in the U.K. and the U.S. and the international business.
TPP
TPP is short for Trans Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership, which made anagreement with southern Pacific four countries, New Zealand, Chili, Singapore andBurunei, about the abolishment of tariff and the liberalization money and labor in2006 at first.
Then Peru, Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia, the U.S. and Japan participated, andthe final agreement was going to be concluded in the near future. However, comingpresident Mr. Trump declared the nonparticipation of the U.S. distinctly, which gives agreat shock against other nine countries today.
Japan and TPP
After the U.S. worked out of TPP, the participating countries are almost agricultural states, whose the biggest expectation to Japan would be the open-door policyof agricultural products and livestock products.
It is unnatural and silly that Japan, one of the biggest economy states, insists thefree trade of industrial products and closes door for agricultural and livestock products,I think.
The target of TPP is the pursuit of citizen’s abundance, and every country always
should keep this slogan, I believe.
(comment: increase of citizen’s abundance = decrease of national bond)Two happy events are held in Gifu and Wakayama
Wakayama
Mr. Jun Sugimoto, President of Mino Industry Co., Ltd., was recently decorated aMedal with Blue Ribbon for a great achievement. On 28 October at the You Green Golf
Club in Nakatsugawa City Gifu Prefecture, a generous congratulatory party was held,
where Mayer of Nakatsugawa City, members of Nakatsugawa Chamber of Commerceand Industry and business concerns, 230 people celebrated his honor as the photo on
page three shows.
Celebrating both the 50th anniversary of Acro Nainen Co., Ltd. (President, Mr.
Masato Katsumoto) and the publication of “A man under a lucky star” written by Mr.
Kiichi Katsumoto, Chairman, a grand party was held at the Hotel Kinokuni o on 4November, where Governor of Wakayama Prefecture, Mayor of Wakayama City and120 business concerns celebrated.
Both companies are the biggest diecasters in each prefecture, and President
Takashi Amano was invited as one of honored visitors.