Japanese petrochemical makers operated their plants at a higher rate in June, boosting ethylene output on the back of strong demand, government data showed on Thursday.
June ethylene output rose 9.2 percent from a year earlier to 598,100 tonnes, marking a year-on-year increase for the second straight month, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) said.
The June operating rate was 98.6 percent, excluding two plants shut for scheduled maintenance, compared with 95.4 percent a year earlier.
"(Ethylene plants) have been running at near full-capacity recently because demand has been solid", a METI official said.
The official also said some petrochemical producers had raised their operating rate in order to boost stocks before maintenance checks.
On a monthly basis, the June figure was down 5.2 percent from 630,800 tonnes in May.
May ethylene exports declined 1.4 percent from a year ago to 178,400 tonnes, falling for a third straight month. But it was up from 172,300 tonnes in April, which was the lowest level since August 2003.
May ethylene imports dropped 41.6 percent from a year ago to 23,500 tonnes, marking a year-on-year decline for the first time in four months.
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