TOKYO, April 1 (Reuters) - Japan's aluminium premiums for April-June shipments were set at $115-$117 per tonne, up around 5-6 percent from the previous quarter, on lower local inventories, five sources directly involved in the talks said.
The deal marks the second quarterly increase and a rise from a premium of $110 PREM-ALUM-JP in the previous quarter.
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 CMAL0 set the benchmark for the region.
A source at a trading firm said deals were done at $115-$117, while another at one of the producers said most shipments were booked at $117.
The latest quarterly pricing negotiations began in late February between Japanese buyers and global miners, including Rio Tinto Ltd RIO.AX RIO.L , Alcoa Inc (NYSE:AA) AA.N and South32 Ltd S32.AX .