Japan Expands Sanctions on Russia Over Ukraine
Japan on Tuesday slapped new sanctions on Russia over its backing of separatist insurgents in eastern Ukraine, adding 40 individuals and two Crimean companies to its blacklist, news reports said.
The sanctions went into force immediately after they were approved by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet on Tuesday morning, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that meetings between Russian and Japanese deputy foreign ministers planned for the end of August would be “inappropriate” given the sanctions, and have hence been postponed.
Japan hit 23 individuals with visa bans and suspended bilateral talks with Russia in April, but has since been moderate in its response to Russia’s policy in Ukraine while the United States and European Union continued to escalate sanctions.
Tokyo announced intentions to expand its sanctions list last week after the European Union committed to its harshest measures against Russia yet.
Hearing news of Japan’s plans, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said previously that new sanctions would “inevitably threaten and set back a whole range of bilateral relations.”
Source: themoscowtimes
