Japanese PM announces sanctions against Russia

Japan has imposed sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine issue. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday morning. Earlier, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada imposed sanctions.

Describing Moscow’s move as a violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty as well as international law, the Japanese prime minister said the order to deploy Russian troops on Ukrainian soil could never be accepted. He called on Russia to resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels without delay.

Kishida added that as an immediate step, Japan would suspend the issuance of visas to officials in Donetsk and Luhansk, two regions of pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine. Apart from imposing restrictions on travel to Japan by certain Russian individuals, Tokyo will also seize dental resources. He also mentioned that Japan would impose a ban on the sale of Russian government bonds, adding that the details of the ban would be finalized in the next few days.

Kishida said a ban on energy imports from Russia would not have a major immediate negative impact on the energy situation, as Japan has sufficient energy reserves. It is expected that the ban on fuel imports from Russia will be included in the sanctions list.