Japan will act with G7 on Russia sanctions, chief cabinet secretary says

Japanese chief cabinet secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Tuesday that Japan will act in line with other Group of Seven nations, appropriately, on the issue of sanctions against Russia.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ministry of Finance announced a freeze on the assets of 17 Russian individuals through regulation of payments and capital transactions, the latest in a series of sanctions.

Earlier on Monday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the Russian invasion of Ukraine may have ushered in a new era after the post-Cold War period, and the way the world responds will likely shape that new era.

Japan, keeping pace with its Group of Seven peers, has frozen assets of major Russian banks, President Vladimir Putin and other leaders, while joining the West in blocking certain Russian banks' access to international payments system SWIFT.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is greatly changing the appearance of the international community. A new era that comes after the post-Cold War period may already be starting," Kishida said in a video message during an online seminar.

"Whether the world can respond resolutely to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and protect the core of the international order is a litmus test to foresee the era that follows the post-Cold War period."

More than two weeks after the Feb. 24 invasion, Ukraine has said it is in talks with Russia on a ceasefire and immediate withdrawal of troops. Truces designed to get aid to Ukrainian cities besieged by Russian forces and to evacuate civilians have frequently failed.