The Present Situation and Prospect of the Iron Sand Mining Industry in Japan

Abstract

The iron sand mining industry in Japan, dating from 1926, produced 1, 700, 000 tons of ore sand for the iron and steel industry in 1961.
The industry, however, being fraught with many problems yet to be sloved, such as the rise of production cost, the hesitant development of marcket prices, the materialization of the import from the Philippines etc., may fairly be said to be facing a turning point.
Some growth may be expected in the field of iron sand for blast furnace pig iron thanks to an increase in the out put of blast furnace pig iron the principal consumer of the material. But the major part of the consumer of the increased supply of iron sand is filled up by imports. Moreover much expectations cannot be placed on an increase in the consumption of iron sand for electric submerged furnqce. Accordlngly, consumption of domestic iron sand wili presumably be limited to around 1, 300, 000-1, 400, 000 tons per year.
To cope with this situation, it is prerequisite for the industry to pay utmost efforts to improve the constitution of the enterprises and to carry out managerical as well as technical rationalization.
Promotion of recovery of titanium from dressing waste is also one of the problems of vital importance wating for solution.