Russia has been subjected to a wave of sanctions, but Kyiv and its allies have been more vocal in calling for greater measures to be taken against Moscow. Following the G7 conference Japan convened last week in Hiroshima when the group leaders decided to “starve Russia of G7 technology, industrial equipment, and services that support its war machine,” Tokyo has now imposed another embargo.
According to top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno, the new Japanese penalties include-
“an asset freeze of Russian individuals and groups, a ban on the export of goods to Russia’s military-related organisations, and a ban on the export of construction and engineering services to Russia”.
High-ranking military officers are among the 78 groups and 17 people whose assets are subject to a freeze. At the same time, 80 organisations are subject to export restrictions, including the Russian mobile phone provider MegaFon, according to the Japanese government.
Recent announcements from the United States, Britain, and European Union include more sanctions on Moscow as well as vows to increase military assistance to Ukraine, including F-16 jets.
Matsuno also denounced the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, said on Thursday that Moscow has started transferring nuclear weapons to its territory.
According to Matsuno, this will “further escalate the situation”.
“As the only country to have suffered atomic bombings during wartime, Japan can never tolerate Russia’s threat of nuclear weapons, not to mention their use.”
cc: Punch Ng
