TOKYO, September 21 (RIA Novosti) - Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida will attend the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York to meet with foreign ministers of the Group of 7 (G7) and discuss Japan's position with respect to sanctions against Russia, Japan's foreign ministry stated on Sunday.
When asked by RIA Novosti about when the next round of sanctions against Russia would be released, a senior official of the Japanese Foreign Ministry stated that it was "difficult to discuss terms, when the sanctions themselves have not been decided." He added that Japan "at the moment considers any and all possibilities."
Kishida also plans to hold a bilateral meeting with the United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, to discuss Japan's coordination with the G7 countries on its relations with Russia. Though the latest round of sanctions against Russia from the United States and the European Union were imposed on September 12, Japan has not yet followed suit.
In March, Japan suspended talks with Moscow over visa restrictions, investment, space cooperation and military tension prevention. In April, the country blacklisted 23 Russian individuals, the names of which have not been made public.
On August 5, the Japanese Foreign Ministry imposed sanctions on the Crimean energy firm, Chernomorneftegaz, and the company Feodosiya in addition to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and 39 other politicians and officials who represented the Republic of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics. The list did not include high-ranking officials of the Russian government. Japan also implemented a ban on the import of goods from Crimea.
Japan's sanctions remain the most lenient when compared with the measures taken by the G7. Since the beginning of the ongoing situation in Ukraine, Japan has balanced its need to support the sanction decisions of the G7 with its unwillingness to damage relations with Russia.
The West has introduced several rounds of sanctions against Russia for its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian crisis which Moscow has repeatedly denied. The latest sanctions target Russia's largest banks, oil and defense companies, as well as certain individuals. The companies were denied access to the European capital markets, while a number of individuals were subject to entry bans and asset freezes.
