Russia imposes sanctions against 63 Japanese citizens

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The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Wednesday that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi have been banned from entering Russia due to the Western-led anti-Russian campaign launched by Tokyo.

Read more: Russia refuses peace talks with Japan, bans visa-free trips to Kuril Islands

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry detailed how "Tokyo is taking practical steps aimed at dismantling good neighborly ties, damaging the Russian economy and the international authority of our country ... Taking into account the above mentioned, as well as personal sanctions imposed by the Japanese government against Russian citizens, including the top leadership of the state, a decision was made to permanently ban the following Japanese citizens from entering Russia."

Kishida and Hayashi top the list of sanctioned officials, attached to the statement. In total, it targets 63 Japanese citizens, including Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki, Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi, and Justice Minister Yoshihisa Furukawa.

Yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree authorizing the use of new special tit-for-tat economic measures in response to hostile activities by certain foreign nations and international organizations.

The document, in particular, forbids fulfilling obligations and finalizing deals with foreign persons and legal organizations under retaliatory restrictive measures, as well as exporting raw materials and goods from Russia for the benefit of these individuals.

According to the decree, these measures are taken to protect Russia’s national interests "due to unfriendly actions which contradict international law by the United States of America and foreign states and international organizations that joined them directed at illegitimately depriving the Russian Federation, the citizens of the Russian Federation and Russian legal entities of property right and restricting their property right."