Russia’s foreign ministry says it will indefinitely ban entry into the country of 13 Japanese citizens linked to groups and businesses involved in restoration and reconstruction support for Ukraine.
The ministry announced on Tuesday that the decision is part of retaliatory measures against the Japanese government’s ongoing sanctions over Russia’s “Special Military Operation.”
The list includes the president of Japan International Cooperation Agency, Tanaka Akihiko, who visited Ukraine in July 2023, and Rakuten Group CEO Mikitani Hiroshi, who traveled there in September with Japan’s then-Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa.
The ban also applies to Toyoda Akio, chairman of Toyota Motor, and Amemiya Makoto, president of a manufacturer of landmine-clearing machines that were handed over to Ukraine earlier this month.
Russia had already imposed indefinite entry bans on Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, the heads of both chambers of Japan’s Diet, Cabinet members and journalists.
A Japanese diplomatic source said Moscow’s response is outrageous and expressed concern that the measure could put psychological pressure on Japanese firms that are considering reconstruction support for Ukraine.