*

Offer down 20% from Q2 level

*

Weak sentiment from U.S. tariffs and higher Asia supply

drive

lower offer

*

Buyers expect $100-$110/T premium

(Adds details and quotes in paragraph 2, 5-10)

By Yuka Obayashi

TOKYO, May 29 (Reuters) - A global aluminium producer

has offered Japanese buyers a premium of $145 per metric ton for

July-September primary metal shipments, down 20% from the

current quarter, two sources directly involved in quarterly

pricing talks said on Thursday.

The lower offer reflects weak sentiment, driven by

uncertainty over demand because of U.S. tariffs and increased

supply to Asia due to falling overseas premiums, the sources

said.

Japan is a major Asian 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 April-June quarter, Japanese buyers agreed to pay a

premium of $182 per ton , down 20% from the prior

quarter.

"Some buyers are reducing purchases due to the uncertain

outlook for automobile production and other demand impacted by

U.S. tariffs," a source at an aluminium producer said.

"Meanwhile, some supplies, including those from the Middle

East, are shifting from Europe to Asia in response to declining

premiums in Europe, easing the supply-demand balance," he added.

Still, buyers see the offer as too high, with the current

spot premiums down to $110-120 per ton, according to another

source at an end-user.

"There is a gap between the offer and buyers' expectations,

which are around the $100-$110 level," the source said.

Aluminium stocks at three major Japanese ports

rose to 320,300 tons at the end of April, up

about 3.4% from the previous month, Marubeni Corp ( MARUF ) said

earlier this month.

The quarterly pricing negotiations began late last week

between Japanese buyers and global suppliers, including Rio

Tinto and South32 ( SHTLF ), and are expected to

continue until later next month.