News - Japanese PM Announces Sanctions Against Russia News | Japanese PM Announces Sanctions Against Russia Japan has imposed sanctions on R...

News - Japanese PM Announces Sanctions Against Russia

News | 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.

Although the Japanese government has so far maintained a more flexible attitude towards Russia than the West, the prime minister's remarks today indicate that Tokyo is moving away from that position. Tokyo has been taking a much more tolerant stance on relations with Russia than the United States and its European allies because Japan did not want to disrupt long-running negotiations with Russia over some of the disputed islands under Russian occupation in the north. In addition, partial dependence on Russia for energy imports prevents Tokyo from taking a hard line.

More than 12 percent of the coal imported into Japan comes from Russia. Japan imports approximately one-tenth of its liquefied natural gas from Russia.

Meanwhile, the stock and currency markets were closed in Japan today on the occasion of Emperor Naruhito's birthday. Emperor Naruhito turned 62 years old. At a press conference on the eve of his birthday, Emperor Naruhito called on the people to keep the "fire of hope" burning in their hearts in the face of the challenge of the coronavirus epidemic. The emperor does not usually comment directly on Japan's ongoing relations with any other country, as well as the international situation. When asked about the Tokyo Olympics in the summer, he praised the volunteers and paramedics who worked for the successful organization of the Olympics, as well as everyone else. He said that thanks to their contribution, it has been possible to organize the Olympics, which was delayed by one year due to the epidemic. He was fascinated by the way athletes from around the world mingled and exchanged views at the Tokyo Olympics and the recently concluded Beijing Winter Olympics. Despite the tensions between different countries, he hopes that people-to-people contacts will transcend national and regional boundaries and lead us to a peaceful world where everyone can embrace each other.