Japan is Asia's biggest importer of the metal and the premiums for primary metal shipments it agrees to pay each quarter over the London Metal Exchange (LME) cash price set the benchmark for the region.

For the July-September quarter, Japanese buyers agreed to pay a premium of $185 per tonne, up 24-25% from the prior quarter and the highest in more than six years as global demand picks up after a pandemic-induced slump.

(Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Susan Fenton)