Japan freezes assets of more Russian oligarchs, bans exports to 80 companies

Tokyo, Mar 25 (EFE).- The Japanese government on Friday announced additional sanctions on Russian citizens and companies as a result of Russia’s war with Ukraine.

The measures include the freezing of assets of more than 20 people and the suspension of exports to 80 new companies.

Among the people whose assets have been frozen until further notice are the head of the Russian Security Council, Nikolai Patrushev; Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov; President Vladimir Putin’s first deputy chief of staff, Sergei Kiriyenko, and presidential adviser Sergey Ivanov.

Also joining the list, which now includes 101 people, are the head of the Vnesheconombank (VEB.RF), Igor Shuvalov; the largest shareholder of the Rossiya bank, Nikolai Shamalov; and Alexei Mordashov, chairman of Russia’s largest steelmaker, Severstal, and chair of the Severgroup investment company, in addition to relatives of oligarchs and politicians that are already sanctioned.

Japan also announced the suspension of exports to 80 companies and entities of the Russian Federation.

These include shipping companies, firms in the aerospace and electronics sectors, and technological research centers.

The number of companies and entities affected by Japan’s sanctions on account of the war already stand at 130.

In a press briefing held after the announcement of the additional sanctions, top government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said that the Japanese government will continue to increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Russia so that it halts the invasion of Ukraine as soon as possible.

Japan has already imposed sanctions on other individuals, including Putin and 12 Belarusians, including the country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, seen as supporting the operation.

Japan, like other G7 countries and the EU, has applied successive rounds of sanctions against Russia since its attack on Ukraine.

These include the exclusion of the latter 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 and is preparing to amend the foreign exchange law to regulate them. EFE

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