By Aya Takada July 28 (Bloomberg) -- Japan’s shipments of aluminum rolled products dropped at the slowest pace in seven months in June as demand from can and carmakers improved. Supplies to the domestic and export markets declined 21.6 percent to 158,605 metric tons from 202,221 tons a year earlier, the Japan Aluminium Association said in a statement today. The pace of decrease slowed for a fourth month after starting to drop in October. Shipments plunged 39 percent in February, the worst slump in 34 years. Japan’s government raised its assessments of the economy for a third month in July as stimulus measures prop up household spending and demand from abroad improves. The Japanese economy expanded at an annualized 2.4 percent in the three months ended June 30 on increased exports, according to an analysts’ survey by Bloomberg, growing for the first time in five quarters. To contact the reporter on this story: Aya Takada in Tokyo at atakada2@bloomberg.net

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