Editor’s Note
Japan has expanded its sanctions against Russia, adding six third-country entities to its export control list and banning imports of Russian diamonds. This aligns Tokyo’s measures with broader G7 efforts to prevent sanction circumvention.
The Japanese government announced on the 15th that it will add six entities in third countries, including Uzbekistan, to the list of export control targets as part of strengthened sanctions against Russia for its ongoing invasion of Ukraine. This aims to prevent circumvention exports to Russia. Imports of diamonds for jewelry from Russia will also be prohibited. This move aligns Japan’s measures with those of the Group of Seven (G7) nations.
The six entities, suspected of involvement in circumvention exports, are located in four countries: the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Armenia, Syria, and Uzbekistan.
Items subject to the export ban to these six entities include industrial goods such as semiconductors and quantum computers, as well as munitions, whose export to Russia is already prohibited. The measures will take effect on the 27th. The United States and the European Union (EU) are also strengthening export controls on entities and organizations in third countries.
Imports of non-industrial diamonds from Russia will be banned from January 1, 2024. Russia’s share of Japan’s total imports is less than 0.1%, and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) explained that “the impact on Japan is not considered significant.”
Russia is the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds, and diamonds are one of its major export items. The United States has already moved to ban imports.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ken Saito stated at a press conference on the 15th.