08 april 2024 — 12:00
The Ministry of Economy of Japan has expanded the list of goods that are prohibited for delivery to Russia, writes Delovoy Peterburg, referring to the statement of the press service of the department.
In total, 164 categories of goods were announced to be banned, the order will take effect on April 17. At the same time, from May 10, Japan will ban purchases of non-industrial diamonds from Russia.
The press release clarifies that Tokyo prohibits supplies to the Russian Federation:
mineral fuels and oils (including motor oil);
nitrocellulose (used in the production of varnishes, paints and explosives);
steel products (including pipelines used for oil and gas transportation);
electrical equipment (including lithium-ion batteries);
photo, optical, measuring and inspection equipment;
recreational or sports vessels (kayaks, yachts, canoes, boats, fire boats, etc.).
The previous time the Japanese authorities expanded export restrictions against Russia was as recently as March 1. At that time, the sanctions affected 12 individuals and 36 organizations, including the Kalashnikov and Almaz-Antey concerns and the United Shipbuilding Corporation.
Last year, Japan's decision to ban most of the sales of used cars to Russia slowed down trade, which is estimated at about $2 billion per year.
The sanctions have led to lower prices for used cars in Japan and forced brokers to send cars to other regions, especially to the right-hand drive car markets in New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Africa, but this is difficult, Reuters reported.
At the end of last year, the Japanese media talked about Japan's critical dependence on imports of Russian crabs. Since the beginning of 2023, the share of imports of Russian crab in Japan has increased to 68.8%, so getting rid of the "Russian crab addiction" will not be easy, commentators noted.