Japan to toughen sanctions against Russia

The government of Japan will broaden export and financial sanctions against Russia and Russian businessmen due to the situation around Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the press conference on Wednesday.

"We are going to ban export of luxury goods to Russia and prohibit import of certain Russian goods," Kishida said. Japan will also expand the list of "the Russian elite, including the ones close to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," with such measures applicable against them as the asset freeze, he noted.

Tokyo will also take extra measures to prevent circumvention of sanctions by Russia, including the cryptocurrency sphere, the Japan’s Prime Minister said.

Japan has already introduced several packages of sanctions against Russia earlier.