The Nikkei business daily reported that Japanese steelmakers have agreed to pay USD 200 per tonne for high grade coking coal from mining giants Rio Tinto and Teck Resources in the April to June quarter.

The Nikkei said that Nippon Steel Corp, JFE Steel Corp, Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd and others will pay 55% more for the coal than they did last fiscal year.

JFE had contracted with Australian diversified natural resources company BHP Billiton earlier this month for around the same price.

Coking coal prices have been set annually, but BHP Billiton, which is estimated to supply about 30% of Japan''s coking coal, proposed quarterly pricing for fiscal 2010, which starts next month.