Japan eases auto part export, offering relief to Russia
Russian car owners with vehicles imported from Japan might find a reason for satisfaction. However, they are not the only ones who could be affected. According to the Russian service autostat.ru, the Tokyo government has granted permission to sell certain car parts and spare parts to Russia.
Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia faced sanctions from the Western world. As a result, some manufacturers have either limited or altogether ceased their cooperation with entities in the world's largest country regarding land area. Consequently, Japan's unexpected easing of regulations must have surprised the Russians significantly.
As reported by autostat.ru, Japan has approved exporting parts of local brands' vehicles to Russia. This applies explicitly to so-called mild hybrids. The list includes several models from brands such as Suzuki, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda, and even Mercedes. However, this decision pertains to cars with the steering wheel on the right side.
Thus, this change will not benefit all Russians. It will primarily assist those accustomed to driving cars imported from Japan. For many years, residents of far eastern Russia have been importing much cheaper used vehicles from Japan, and this practice is quite common there.
The removal of some restrictions is perceived in Russia as a potential crack in the wall of Western world solidarity. The Kremlin is undoubtedly hopeful that the reduced demand in global markets will prompt individual governments to relax these laws and perhaps even wholly lift the sanctions.
