JAPAN SEAMLESS PIPE MAKERS TO FORM EXPORT CARTEL Four major Japanese steelmakers plan to form a seamless pipe export cartel for markets other than the U.S. And the European Community for a year from April to keep prices above output costs, company officials involved said. The companies are Nippon steel Corp <NSTC.T>, Sumitomo Metal Industries Ltd <SMIT.T>, Nippon Kokan KK <NKKT.T> and Kawasaki Steel Corp <KAWS.T>, which together account for some 95 pct of Japan's total seamless pipe exports. The firms will apply to form the cartel to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry today and approval is expected later this month, the officials said. Under the plan, the four companies will set floor prices for exports as prices have fallen sharply due to the yen's appreciation against the dollar, reduced world demand caused by lower oil prices and excess domestic capacity which resulted in price-cutting competition, the officials said. In calendar 1986, seamless pipe exports fell to 2.34 mln tonnes from 2.99 mln in 1985 and 3.12 mln in 1981. The officials declined to give any idea of floor prices, saying it depends partly on volume, but industry sources estimate average export prices would rise by around 20 pct to some 800 dlrs a tonne.