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Russia bans entry of top Japanese executives

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  • Russia bans entry of top Japanese executives
  • July 24, 2024
  • Article Body Text TOKYO — <p>Russia has banned the head of Toyota and 12 other senior Japanese business figures from entering the country, prompting a protest by Tokyo on Wednesday.</p> <p>The list published by Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday includes Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, Rakuten chief Hiroshi Mikitani and Akihiko Tanaka, president of the government-backed Japan International Cooperation Agency.</p> <p>The decision was a &quot;response to Japan's ongoing sanctions against our country in connection with the special military operation,&quot; the foreign ministry statement said, using Moscow's term for its invasion of Ukraine.</p> <p>It did not explain how individuals were chosen for the list, which did not include the heads of major Japanese firms like Mitsubishi, Honda and Sony.</p> <p>Japan has strongly backed the Western position on Ukraine, providing Kyiv with financial and material support and sanctioning Russian individuals and organizations.</p> <p>Japan's pacifist constitution restricts it from exporting weapons, but in December, Tokyo loosened arms export controls to enable it to sell domestically made Patriot missiles to the United States.</p> <p>The move was aimed at replenishing U.S. inventories of the air defense missile systems that have run low because of supplies sent to Ukraine.</p> <p>&quot;Measures announced by Russia this time will restrict fair activity by Japanese companies, and are absolutely unacceptable,&quot; Japanese government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said Wednesday.</p> <p>He said Tokyo had lodged a protest and that &quot;all of our sanctions stem from Russia's Ukraine invasion, which is a clear violation of international law.&quot;</p>
  • Content Type Text
  • Language English
  • NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
  • Subtitles / Dubbing Available No
  • Network VOA
  • Embargo Date July 24, 2024 02:08 EDT
  • Byline Agence France-Presse
  • Brand / Language Service Voice of America - English
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