# South Africa exports to Japan: Trade Route Risk | Yugalinks

Understand reported exports from South Africa to Japan, the product routes that need a closer look, and the conditions that may affect planning.

Canonical: https://www.yugalinks.com/trade/corridor/ZAF-JPN/risk

## Route overview

In 2024, South Africa reported $5.4B in goods exports to Japan. The overall review level is Critical attention.

## How to read this page

High attention means one or more conditions on these product types deserve a closer look. It is not a prediction that trade will stop or that a loss is certain. An HS6 code is the international six-digit code used to describe and compare traded goods.

## Key numbers

| Measure | Value | What it means |
| --- | ---: | --- |
| Latest reported exports | $5.4B | 2024 route total |
| Exports needing review | 99.6% | Share of route exports |
| Highest-priority products | 19 | Need the closest review |
| Products needing review | 57 | High-attention product types |
| Export volatility | 0.9 | Higher means bigger yearly swings |
| Below highest year | 52.2% | Compared with the route's best year |

## Product types to review

| Rank | HS6 | Product | Buyer-market imports | Below product high | Review level |
| ---: | --- | --- | ---: | ---: | --- |
| 1 | 711011 | Metals: platinum, unwrought or in powder form | $1.2B | 53.1% | Critical attention |
| 2 | 711031 | Metals: rhodium, unwrought or in powder form | $917.7M | 79.6% | Critical attention |
| 3 | 711021 | Metals: palladium, unwrought or in powder form | $1.3B | 65.7% | Critical attention |
| 4 | 711041 | Metals: iridium, osmium, ruthenium, unwrought or in powder form | $770.1M | 1.5% | High attention |
| 5 | 260111 | Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated | $8.3B | 53.8% | Critical attention |
| 6 | 270112 | Coal: bituminous, whether or not pulverised, but not agglomerated | $25.0B | 25.9% | High attention |
| 7 | 711019 | Metals: platinum, semi-manufactured | $443.6M | 65.1% | Critical attention |
| 8 | 720241 | Ferro-alloys: ferro-chromium, containing by weight more than 4% of carbon | $704.5M | 70.3% | Critical attention |
| 9 | 440122 | Wood: in chips or particles, non-coniferous | $1.5B | 52.4% | Critical attention |
| 10 | 760110 | Aluminium: unwrought, (not alloyed) | $2.5B | 66.3% | Critical attention |

## Data sources

- Primary trade series: OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-29). [OECD Data Explorer](https://data-explorer.oecd.org/) - [OECD Terms & Conditions](https://www.oecd.org/termsandconditions/)
- CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601): [dataset page](https://www.cepii.fr/CEPII/en/bdd_modele/bdd_modele_item.asp?id=37) - [BACI documentation](https://www.cepii.fr/DATA_DOWNLOAD/baci/doc/baci_webpage.html) - [Etalab 2.0 Open Licence](https://www.etalab.gouv.fr/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/open-licence.pdf)

This page presents derived Yugalinks views of reported observations and calculated indicators.