Japan Allows Hydraulic Fluid Exports

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Japan removed hydraulic fluids, mainly silahydrocarbon oils, from the Export Trade Control Order list of goods, opening the way for exports to begin Jan. 7.

Silahydrocarbon oils are mainly used in the aerospace industry. They function well under low temperatures and vacuum conditions because of its good viscosity-temperature properties and low pour points. They also work well with conventional additives. Conventional liquid lubricants, when applied under vacuum conditions, can volatilize upon mechanical contact, causing friction, wear and mechanical seizure.

On Nov. 1, the Japanese Cabinet approved a revision of the list of goods regulated for export, based on agreements concluded in 2015 at the International Export Control Conference. The revision also removed some agricultural, forestry and fishery goods from the list. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry controls the export of goods under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act and provides individual provisions to regulate goods.

Japans export control system was established in 1987 after the so-called Toshiba Machinery Incident in which machine tools were exported to the Soviet Union in violation of Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls regulations. Since then, the Japanese government has implemented export controls on a list of goods with laws, penalties and corporate compliance programs.

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