Japan’s April exports of unwrought cobalt and powder rose to 131 mt, up 17% compared to 112 mt in March 2012 and up 19.1% compared to 110 mt in April 2012. Exports through April rose 45.1% to 502 mt compared to 346 mt in the same 2012 period. Exports to the US increased to 268 mt in the first four months compared to 112 mt in the same period last year, while exports to China were 129 mt compared to 125 mt the previous year.