Japan adds Russia sanctions, U.S. envoy offers home to Ukrainians

Autos are parked close to the workplace constructing of Rosoboronexport firm in Moscow, Russia, March 1, 2016. REUTERS/Grigory Dukor

TOKYO, March 18 (Reuters) – Japan will impose sanctions on 15 Russian people and 9 organisations, it mentioned on Friday, amongst them defence officers and the state-owned arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.

The sanctions, which embody the freezing of belongings, are Japan’s newest measures since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that started on Feb. 24. They now cowl 76 people, seven banks and 12 different our bodies in Russia, the finance ministry mentioned.

Russian International Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova and a number of other makers of navy gear, corresponding to United Plane Corp, which manufactures fighter jets, are amongst these sanctioned in Friday’s measures.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will handle Japan’s parliament subsequent week, mentioned former minister Taro Kono, who now heads public relations for Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Occasion.

Russia calls its motion in Ukraine a “particular operation” that isn’t designed to occupy territory however to destroy its southern neighbour’s navy capabilities and seize what it regards as harmful nationalists.

The U.S. ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel, who praised Japan’s motion as “hitting on the coronary heart of Russia’s conflict machine”, has supplied to host Ukrainian refugees fleeing the conflict in his residence till they discover everlasting housing in Japan.

Lengthy refugee-shy, Japan is getting ready to soak up Ukrainian evacuees, with 47 having arrived because the outbreak of the conflict. learn extra

“We want to do our half, too, by helping the evacuees till they’re able to transfer into extra everlasting housing,” Ambassador Emanuel, the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, mentioned in a press release.

This week, a U.S. Air Pressure cargo jet flew to Ukraine helmets and different non-lethal navy gear donated by Japan. learn extra

A foremost U.S. safety ally in Asia, Japan nonetheless has stakes in gasoline and oil initiatives in Russia’s Sakhalin island, after power majors Shell (SHEL.L) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) pulled out of them.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has given no clear indication of the destiny of Japan’s funding within the initiatives, underscoring each their significance for its power safety and his intention to maintain step with G7 friends’ sanctions in opposition to Russia.

The Russian ambassador to Japan has mentioned it was logical to take care of “mutually useful” power initiatives in Sakhalin. learn extra

Japan does additionally not intend to ban Russian seafood, the Jiji Press information company mentioned.

Seafood contains 9% of Japan’s complete imports from Russia, on which it depends closely for objects corresponding to sea urchin and frozen crab, the non-profit suppose tank Japan Discussion board on Worldwide Relations says.

(This story refiles to repair typo in paragraph two)

Reporting by Kantaro Komiya, Ju-min Park; Further reporting by Tim Kelly; Modifying by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez

: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.