Russia's MFA pledges proportionate response to new Japanese sanctions
In short
Russia's Foreign Ministry said Moscow will take proportionate countermeasures to Japan's new sanctions, aimed at areas of interest to Japan, spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. The measures, announced by Tokyo on 2 October, cover 33 Russian legal entities and nine individuals, and Vedomosti reported that 35 ships and export restrictions on four organisations in Turkey and the UAE were also listed. Zakharova said the decisions include restrictions on shipping for the first time and that they push back the prospect of peace in Ukraine.
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Russia will respond proportionately to Japan's new sanctions with countermeasures aimed primarily at areas of interest to Japan, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said in a comment published on the ministry's website on Monday. Interfax and Vedomosti both carried the statement, and RIA Novosti reported that the ministry had commented on Japan's new measures against Russia. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
According to Zakharova, Tokyo announced the measures on 2 October and they affected 33 Russian legal entities and nine individuals. Interfax also referred to a number of companies abroad, while Vedomosti reported the list includes 35 ships and that Japan introduced export restrictions on four organisations from Turkey and the UAE. Zakharova said the decisions concern restrictions in the shipping sector for the first time. [ 2 , 3 ]
Zakharova said the “unfriendly” steps from Tokyo would not go unanswered. She said the Japanese government “continues to take thoughtless steps provoking further degradation of what little remains of relations” between the two countries. She rejected Tokyo's justification of the measures by “the current situation around Ukraine” and its presentation of them as a “contribution to a peaceful settlement”, saying Russia saw this as further confirmation that Japan's foreign policy course is not independent; Vedomosti quoted her saying the course was dictated not by national interests but by solidarity with “like-minded” partners in the Euro-Atlantic. Vedomosti also reported her saying that such actions push back the prospect of establishing peace in Ukraine. [ 2 , 3 ]
Zakharova cited the 1957 Trade Treaty in force between the two states, saying it explicitly guarantees ships and crews terms no less favourable than those for any third countries in all matters of commercial shipping. She said Tokyo had again shown disregard for international law and bilateral agreements. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The exchange deepens a dispute the Russian Foreign Ministry itself describes as a further degradation of what remains of relations between the two countries. Because the measures touch shipping, and Moscow says its response will target areas of interest to Japan, the next step could affect trade navigation, which Zakharova tied to the 1957 bilateral Trade Treaty. Tokyo's measures are presented by the Russian side as linked to Ukraine, tying the bilateral track to a wider conflict.
Key facts
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said Russia will respond proportionately to Japan's new sanctions, with countermeasures oriented towards areas of interest to Japan. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Japan announced the measures on 2 October, Zakharova said. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The measures affect 33 Russian legal entities and nine individuals, according to Interfax and Vedomosti. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Vedomosti reported the list also includes 35 ships and that Japan introduced export restrictions on four organisations from Turkey and the UAE. [ 3 ]
- Zakharova said the decisions concern restrictions in the shipping sector for the first time. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Zakharova said such actions by Japan push back the prospect of establishing peace in Ukraine, Vedomosti reported. [ 3 ]
- Zakharova cited the 1957 Trade Treaty between the two states, which she said guarantees ships and crews terms no less favourable than for any third countries in all matters of commercial shipping. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova commented on Japan's new sanctions and said Russia would take proportionate countermeasures. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The Japanese measures were announced on 2 October and cover 33 Russian legal entities and nine individuals. [ 2 , 3 ]
- According to Zakharova, the measures include restrictions on shipping for the first time. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Zakharova said Tokyo justified its actions with the situation around Ukraine, which she rejected as a justification. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The exact contents of the Japanese list: Interfax refers to a number of companies abroad, while Vedomosti reports 35 ships and export restrictions on four organisations from Turkey and the UAE. The outlets describe the scope of the measures differently and neither gives names, so the full list cannot be established from the documents.
- Which sectors the Russian countermeasures will target and when they will come. Zakharova said the response would focus on areas of interest to Japan but gave no sectors or timing.
- Any reaction from the Japanese government to the Russian statement. No Japanese official response appears in the documents.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reports that the Russian Foreign Ministry commented on Japan's new measures against Russia. [ 1 ]
- Interfax publishes Zakharova's comment, saying Moscow will respond proportionately with countermeasures aimed at areas of interest to Japan. [ 2 ]
- Vedomosti reports the comment and adds that the Japanese list includes 33 organisations, nine individuals and 35 ships. [ 3 ]