Japan has announced that it is prepared to participate in U.S.-led sanctions against Russia

Japan has announced that it is prepared to participate in U.S.-led sanctions against Russia. 

TOKYO: The Japanese government said Japan Tuesday declared that it was prepared to join with the United States and other G7 industrialized nations in imposing sanctions on Russia if Russian Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an invasion of Ukraine.

The declaration of this world’s No. 3 economy comes when the turmoil in Europe is getting worse. On Monday, the Russian leader directed troops into two separatist regions within Eastern Ukraine that Russia recognizes as sovereign states. 

This action was “unacceptable and in breach of international laws,” the Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who called Putin this morning to call for the restraint of his government, and reassured reporters. Japan is ready for a firm response that may include sanctions said.

The White House said late on Monday that it would announce fresh sanctions against Russia the following Monday “in response to Moscow’s decision and actions of today.”

“We are working with allies and partners in this decision,” a White House spokesperson told reporters.

READ MORE: The President declares that Ukraine would like peace but isn’t willing to let its land go to Russia.

New sanctions imposed by Japan could be added to those already set against Russia in 2014, following the time it took over the Crimea and Crimea region, including the ban of semiconductor chips as well as other essential technology exports, as well as tighter limits on Russian banks as the Yomiuri newspaper reported earlier.

Even though Japan is no longer the largest exporter of semiconductors, having just 10% of the world chip market. 

However, it is a leading manufacturer of particular electronic components like automobile chips and image sensors and dominates other industries, including high-tech manufacturing equipment.

Kishida and other government officials that spoke Tuesday didn’t reveal what sanctions Japan is considering.

Japan’s more aggressive stance towards Russia contrasts with the softer diplomatic approach towards Moscow adopted by Japanese governments in previous administrations. 

They have also wooed Putin to ensure the return of islands taken over by Russian forces after the Second World War Two.

The delicate diplomatic stance of Japan has been shaped by the fact that it relies on Russia for a portion of its energy requirements. By 2021 Russia supplied more than 11% of Japan’s coal and nearly 10 percent of Japan’s LNG.

However, this economic crisis has been replaced in recent years by a growing concern over increased Russian military activities across East Asia and Moscow’s deepening security cooperation with neighboring China.

“Ukraine is facing a tension-filled moment right now, and it is imperative to be aware of the way it affects Japan’s economic situation,” Financial Minister Shunichi Sushi told reporters on Tuesday.