Sanctions implemented by Japan against Russia have recently come into spotlight further to the announced official visit to Japan of the Speaker of the State Duma lower house of Parliament, Sergei Naryshkin.
To date, the Japanese government’s sanctions against Russia have developed as follows:
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On 18 March 2014, the Japanese government announced the following measures against Russia:
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to suspend consultation for relaxing visa regulations; and
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to freeze negotiations of:
i. a new investment agreement;
ii. an outer space cooperation agreement; and
iii. an agreement for prevention of dangerous military activities.
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On 29 April 2014, the Japanese government announced that it has temporarily suspended the issuing of visas to 23 individuals who are considered to have contributed to the violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
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As reported in a previous blog entry, on June 5, 2014, following the G7 summit in Brussels, Japan, along with the other members of the G7, released a statement condemning Russia’s continued violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and further stated that they are ready to impose further sanctions on Russia, if necessary. Following the summit, the G7 confirmed that they are implementing a strict policy of non-recognition with respect to Crimea/Sevastopol, in line with UN General Assembly Resolution 68/262.
Other than the above sanctions, there are presently no specific sanctions against Russia. From an export control perspective, exporting to Russia will be subject to ordinary export control regulations in Japan. If the export of certain products require a license from the government, an exporter should obtain the same.
