Japan freezes assets of another 398 Russians, including Putin’s daughters
Tokyo, Apr 12 (EFE).- Japan on Tuesday announced new sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, which included freezing of assets of an additional 398 people, including the daughters of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the wife and daughter of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
At a press conference, top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said that tough sanctions had to be adopted to prevent the situation from escalating further and to reach a ceasefire to end the war as soon as possible.
Japan joins other countries that have expanded sanctions against Moscow amid the release of information and images of the reported killing of civilians in Ukrainian areas that were recently occupied by Russian troops.
Matsuno added that “inhumane” acts were being revealed not only in Bucha, but also in many other places, and emphasized that the killing of innocent civilians violated international law and was a war crime.
The number of individuals affected by Japan’s sanctions on account of the war stands at 499 and now includes Putin’s daughters Ekaterina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, and Lavrov’s wife Maria Lavrova and their daughter, Ekaterina.
Most of the individuals on the list are linked to the Duma — the lower house of the Russian parliament — and the military.
Tokyo has also decided to adopt additional sanctions on 28 Russian companies and organizations, including Sberbank and Alfa Bank. A total of 47 entities are affected by sanctions so far.
Japan has already imposed sanctions on other individuals, including Putin and 12 Belarusians, including the country’s president Alexander Lukashenko, who is seen as supporting the operation, as well as various entities.
Among other measures that the Asian country has adopted is the exclusion of Russia from the Swift payment system and a ban on the export of semiconductors and other goods that could be used in the military equipment industry.
The Japanese government has also ordered domestic cryptocurrency exchanges to halt transactions involving individuals or entities subject to sanctions against Russia and Belarus. EFE
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