Japan Imposed Sanctions On Russia For Semiconductor Exports

22 March 2022

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many countries imposed sanctions on certain traded commodities, either imported or exported with Russia. Countries such as the USA has also put a ban on Russian exports of oil and put submission of blocking Russian banks from SWIFT.

Japan's imports and exports to Russia are in a significant value, and Japan could lose a big export market that is supplying commodities to Japan, which mainly consists of fuels & oils, stones & metals, fishes and more. However, following the countries opposing Russia invasion of Ukraine, Japan has also put sanctions on Russia for its exports of semiconductor and automotive components to Russia.

Japan Imports From Russia, 2021

Japan imports from Russia are of significance to Japanese economy since Russia is the world’s largest producer of crude oil and exports the oil to other countries. This essential commodity and its related products are crucial for the energy industry in Japan to run its factory and other production facilities, along with generating electricity.

Top imports from Russia to Japan for 2021 includes mineral fuels & oils ($8,565.6 million), followed by pearls & metals ($1,408.1 million), fish ($1,237.1 million), aluminum ($1,234.6 million), and aluminum ($1,234.6 million), along with other categories shown in the table below.

Japan Exports To Russia, 2021

Top exports of Japan to Russia for 2021 includes vehicles & its parts ($3,159 million), followed by industrial machinery ($1,088.6 million), rubber ($322.3 million), electronics ($296.6 million), and optical, medical and other instruments ($236.5 million) with other product categories shown below.

Semiconductor Exports, 2021

Japan semiconductor exports to Russia are shown below in a quarterly division for the year 2021, as per import data 2021. The first quarter of 2021 shows an import value of about $1.3 million. The second quarter had an import value of $1.7 million, which is the highest in all of 2021, while the third quarter is showing the lowest value so far for 2021 of $755.6 thousand. The final and fourth quarter of 2021 shows an import value of $1.3 million for Russia’s imports.

Japan has put sanctions on vehicles and its parts, and the semiconductor exports, along with similar products to semiconductor which is not specifically defined yet. According to the analysts, Japan is planning to play safe to do what other countries did to punish Russia while not affecting the bilateral trade relationship between both countries. It is yet to see what further decisions either Japan or Russia, or even both will make in order to respond to their actions.