Russian-Japanese consultations postponed after new Tokyo sanctions

Moscow finds bilateral talks planned in late August out of place in view of more Japanese sanctions imposed on Russia, a deputy director of the Foreign Ministry’s information and press department said on Tuesday.

Consultations between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov and Japanese counterpart Shinsuke Sugiyama were planned in Russia’s capital, Moscow, at this date, Maria Zakharova said.

“In fact, Russian-Japanese consultations at the level of deputy foreign ministers were planned in Moscow at this date,” Zakharova said, adding that “However, we find such meeting out of place (in late August) in view of new anti-Russian sanctions. In this regard, consultations are delayed. Japanese side was informed about this.
Meanwhile, Japanese government has approved a third portion of sanctions related with the current situation over Ukraine on Tuesday.

The penalty list comprising 40 individuals and two companies, which, according to Tokyo, “are involved in destabilisation of the current situation in Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of Crimea,” was immediately made public in the country.
Along with Russians, Ukrainian citizens, including representatives of Donetsk and Lugansk self-proclaimed republics, were placed on the sanction list.

If accounts owned by individuals and legal entities on the sanction list are found at Japanese banks they will be frozen.