Japan to expand anti-Russia sanctions
The Japanese government has expanded its package of Russia sanctions, with the list of goods prohibited for supply now including 758 new items, the country’s Trade Ministry announced on Wednesday.
The ministry first revealed the upcoming measure last week, noting that Tokyo would widen its list of embargoed products to the Russian Federation starting from August 9, “in light of the current international situation surrounding Ukraine.”
According to the ministry’s latest statement, the amended export ban will cover a wide range of products, including iron, steel, nickel, copper and aluminum, as well as industrial chemicals, plastics, lumber, textiles, electronics, machinery and scientific instruments. Additional types of goods were added to 45 of the 47 product categories for which Japan has already imposed an export ban.
The measure particularly concerns the export of cars with an engine capacity of more than 1.9 liters, hybrid and electric vehicles, yachts, boats, as well as optical and measuring equipment, furniture and prefabricated houses.
The ban also includes paints, pigments and dyes, such as printing ink; lubricants for processing fabrics, leather and fur; and denatured starch and glue.
In addition to goods related to photography and filming, it will also be illegal to export products of the chemical industry, plastics and plastic products, such as acrylic polymers, as well as rubber and rubber products, such as tires for large vehicles.
The list also includes wood and its products, wood pulp, pulp and waste paper; paper and paperboard, such as kraft paper; drawings and diagrams; sheep wool and animal wool and products from them; cotton and products from it; yarn from vegetable fibers and paper threads; man-made fibers and products made from them, as well as used clothing and textiles.
Stone, gypsum, cement, ceramic products, glass and glass products, as well as steel, products and parts made from it, also fall under the ban. The list also includes copper, such as copper wire, nickel, aluminum, lead, zinc, tin and products made from them, as well as base metal products, electrical goods, locomotives and railroad cars.
The new blacklist follows a raft of Japanese sanctions imposed on the Russian economy since Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine, including asset freezes, export bans, and the revocation of Moscow’s ‘most-favored nation’ trade status. Japan has also blacklisted 80 Russian military-related companies and organizations, including firms that produce heavy machinery.
Moscow said recently it was “considering retaliatory steps” against Tokyo, with the Russian Foreign Ministry noting that it viewed Japan’s penalties “very negatively.” The Kremlin has previously blacklisted nearly 400 Japanese lawmakers in response to earlier sanctions and the country’s “unfriendly, anti-Russian position” in regard to Ukraine, and banned entry to dozens of senior officials, among them Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
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