Foreign minister says Japan plans to impose more sanctions on Russia

By Shinji Abe / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

15:41 JST, September 22, 2022

NEW YORK — Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Wednesday that Japan would impose additional economic sanctions on Russia for its continued aggression against Ukraine.

The Group of Seven industrial powers held a foreign ministers meeting in New York on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the situation in Ukraine and other issues. According to the Foreign Ministry, Hayashi said Japan intends to expand the scope of its sanctions to include a ban on exporting chemical weapons-related materials to Russia.

The United States and European countries are also considering additional measures in reaction to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order for mobilization.

The G7 members confirmed at the meeting that they would continue to work together to assist Ukraine, and to deal with the food crisis and energy security problems exacerbated by Russia’s invasion. They also discussed China’s growing hegemonic behavior in the Indo-Pacific region and shared views on the U.N. reform proposed by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.

Hayashi announced at the meeting that next year’s foreign ministerial meeting would be held in Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, on April 16-18, ahead of the G7 Hiroshima summit.

Wednesday marked the first face-to-face meeting of G7 foreign ministers since May. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, who took office this month, were among those in attendance.