Tokyo, Oct. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s fresh sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine are “ill-considered,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said, warning that Moscow will take “proportionate countermeasures” primarily in areas of interest to Tokyo. The Japanese government on Friday sanctioned 35 vessels in the so-called shadow fleet that transport Russian crude oil and help Moscow evade Western sanctions, and added 33 entities and nine individuals linked to Russia to its asset freeze list. Zakharova, director of the ministry’s Information and Press Department, said Monday that Japan chose, instead of its national interests, “reckless solidarity with its so-called like-minded partners in the Euro-Atlantic region–partners pathologically obsessed with the idea of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.” The administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi “is doing nothing to bring about long-term peace in Ukraine” and “is merely pushing that prospect further away,” she added. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference Tuesday that the country’s measures “have been taken in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and are not something that should be criticized by Moscow.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
