Japan Imposes Sanctions on Hamas Members to Restrict Funding

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:55 JST, October 31, 2023

The government approved sanctions against nine individuals and one organization related to Hamas, the militant group that effectively controls the Gaza Strip, by freezing assets and other means. The decision was made at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning.

According to the Foreign Ministry, the targets of the sanctions include senior Hamas members and agents involved in funding for the group and a Gaza-based cryptocurrency exchange used for transferring money to the group. The sanctions are aimed at cutting off Hamas’ access to funding.

“We quickly designated the targets to cut off funding for Hamas. We will further consider who we should sanction in the future,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference on Tuesday.

The U.S. government recently announced similar sanctions, and Japan is staying in step with the United States.