Paper short abstract:

This input highlights the results of a big inflow of Japanese second-hand cars in the Russian Far East since the end of the Soviet Union. Cherished by car drivers as reliable and affordable means of transport, they have also led to daily congestions and a substantial deterioration of air quality.

Paper long abstract:

Already in the 1980s exhaust emissions were considered the biggest source of noxious substances in the air of Soviet Far Eastern cities like Vladivostok. However, it is after the end of the Red Empire that the numbers of cars in these cities started to rise in dizzying speed. Thanks to the closeness of Japan, the import of second-hand Japanese cars became a mass phenomenon. Due to this influx, by the end of the 2000s Primorsky Krai with its administrative centre Vladivostok had become the region with the highest density of cars in Russia and has retained this status ever since. Drivers in the region much appreciate the reliability and affordability of the Japanese second-hand cars and thereby have come to see their accessibility as a clear gain in liveability. Hence, when in 2008 the authorities restricted the influx of Japanese second-hand cars, residents responded with mass protests. Meanwhile, the density of these cars in Far-Eastern cities has led to daily congestions and a considerable deterioration of air quality. In most recent years, due to the closeness of Japan and China Primorsky Krai has also become the region with the most electric cars in Russia (in absolute numbers) and could thus become a frontrunner in low-emission car-transport. This contribution argues that on a micro-scale the case of Japanese second-hand cars in the Russian Far East illustrates quite well contradicting narratives of development that are worthwhile to deal with in view of the more comprehensive picture the roundtable seeks.