In a surprise move, Japan announced Friday it will expel eight Russian diplomats and trade representatives, a significant policy change that will likely prompt a similar move from Moscow.
The Foreign Ministry made the announcement ahead of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s news conference apparently to soften how the news will be received in Moscow. During the news conference Friday evening, Kishida did not speak at length about the expulsion of the diplomats, merely saying that Japan made the decision after “comprehensive judgment.”
Kishida, however, announced a sweeping new round of sanctions, declaring that Japan will phase out imports of Russian coal, ban imports of Russian machinery, lumber and vodka, bar new investments in Russia and freeze assets held by major Russian lenders Sberbank and Alfa Bank. Japan will also freeze the assets of an additional 400 or so military personnel and lawmakers and some 20 military-related organizations, including state-run companies, Kishida said.