Japan joined the restriction of prices for oil products from Russia.

As noted in the message of the Japanese Foreign Ministry, Tokyo is acting within the framework of the sanctions policy against the Russian Federation and in accordance with the position of the "Group of Seven" (G7).

“Our country is introducing measures to ban the import of crude oil and petroleum products produced in Russia above the marginal price: for expensive petroleum products - $ 100 per barrel, for petroleum products with a low price - $ 40 per barrel, ”RIA Novosti reports a message from the Japanese Foreign Ministry.

As noted, Tokyo is taking this step as a “contribution” to international efforts “for world peace”, as well as taking into account the measures approved by the G7 countries and the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of Japan of December 5, 2022 “On measures to ban oil exports and oil products exceeding the marginal price, and the provision of maritime transport services.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry also clarified that these sanctions against Russia are imposed on the basis of the law on foreign exchange and foreign trade.

According to the Japanese Foreign Ministry, these measures came into force on February 6.

The exception will be previously concluded supply transactions, the loading of which was completed before this date.

These anti-Russian restrictions by Tokyo followed after the Japanese Foreign Minister discussed sanctions against the Russian Federation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on February 1.

According to him, the parties agreed that it is "important for them to maintain unity" and to continue to introduce restrictions against Russia.

Recall that the restrictions announced by the Japanese side correspond to similar measures of the European Union, which entered into force on February 5.

Earlier, in response to this EU move, Moscow banned the supply of Russian oil and oil products if the agreement directly or indirectly provides for a price ceiling. 

In the context of the sanctions confrontation

It should be noted that Japan takes an active part in the West's policy of applying anti-Russian restrictions.

In addition to introducing a ceiling on prices for Russian oil products, Tokyo at the end of January expanded the lists of Russian individuals and legal entities whose assets should be blocked.

Among the companies of the Russian Federation, the Irkut corporation, the Avangard machine-building plant and KamAZ PJSC fell under the new sanctions.

In addition, Tokyo imposed a ban on the export of general goods and goods related to the strengthening of military potential in relation to 49 Russian legal entities.

Restrictions affected, among other things, the Zvezdochka ship repair center, the Moscow Aviation Institute, the Tula Arms Plant, the Moscow Institute of Thermal Engineering, the Research Center “Institute.

NOT.

Zhukovsky", Central Institute of Aviation Motors named after P.I.

Baranov, the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute and the Aviaagregat enterprise.

In addition, Tokyo announced that it prohibits the export of radioactive materials, robots, vaccines and medical products, immunotoxins, as well as raw materials for military bacterial substances to Russia.

Moscow condemned such steps, stressing that they would have diplomatic and economic consequences for Japan.

“Consequences for bilateral relations, which are already in a very sad state, unfortunately, are inevitable from such decisions,” Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

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According to him, Russia is increasingly adapting to such a sanctions regime, including through “compensatory elements” for both the economy and the social sphere.

“Therefore, such decisions do not bring us anything new, terrible,” Peskov stressed.

The press secretary of the Russian leader also noted that the Russian Federation will proceed primarily from its own interests when developing response measures.

A few days after the imposition of sanctions by the Japanese side, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko met with Japanese Ambassador to the Russian Federation Toyohisa Kozuki to discuss in detail the "most pressing issues" of bilateral relations.

Moscow urged Tokyo to take a pragmatic stance and refrain from anti-Russian measures that lead to further deterioration of ties between the countries.

"Draw into anti-Russian discourse"

As the head of the Center for Japanese Studies at the Institute of China and Modern Asia of the Russian Academy of Sciences Valery Kistanov noted, Japan is one of the world leaders in terms of imposing sanctions against Russia, applied to the country after the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine.

According to the expert, Tokyo's accession to limiting prices for Russian oil products fits into the anti-Russian course of the Japanese authorities.

“In Asia, Japan in general is practically the main character in the policy directed against the Russian Federation.

She has already imposed sanctions on Russia, which cover almost all areas of economic interaction between Tokyo and Moscow.

This time, Japan joined the price ceiling for petroleum products.

This is another step in this whole campaign that Japan is taking to show that it is keeping pace with other G7 countries.

In this way, Tokyo wants to demonstrate to Moscow that the Russian Federation continues to be the object of sanctions from Japan, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

Kistanov believes that the intensity of sanctions pressure against Russia depends, among other things, on the influence of the United States on the Japanese authorities.

“Japan always listens to what they say in Washington.

It does this even when it is contrary to its interests, including in the field of energy security,” the expert said.

In turn, Igor Yushkov, a leading analyst at the National Energy Security Fund, said that the United States, by putting pressure on Japan, wants to “draw it into the anti-Russian discourse” more and more.

“It is important for the United States that as many countries as possible join such measures against the Russian Federation.

But these restrictions practically do not work in practice.

The same oil ceiling, the limit on the price of petroleum products will not prevent Russia from earning as before on the supply of black gold, since the Russian Federation has shifted its focus to China and India.

Russia went through the transition period rather quickly.

For the Russian Federation, there will be no problems with sales: everything that Japan does not want to take, for example, oil products, all this successfully goes to the Chinese market, ”the expert said in a comment to RT.

According to analysts, the sanctions that Japan joined and that were introduced earlier by the European Union can cause a shortage of petroleum products at the local level or even in a number of countries.

“Against this background, prices can rise significantly.

At a minimum, the cost of delivering oil products will increase significantly, since in addition to the established ceiling, on February 5, the EU embargo on Russian oil products began to operate.

And not the fact that there is an affordable alternative, and at an affordable price.

The West builds its energy market from the point of view of not economics, but politics.

And Japan is acting according to the same scheme, ”Yushkov believes.

As Kistanov, in turn, predicted, on the eve of the G7 leaders' summit in May, which will be held in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, the countries of the Group of Seven "scrape the bottom of the barrel", looking for something else to "stab Russia."

“Tokyo is doing the same thing.

Now it is becoming more and more obvious that the planned summit with the participation of Japan will be held under the slogan of condemning Russia and calling for further pressure on it in all directions, ”the analyst is sure.

However, experts agree that such actions, including by the Japanese side under the guiding control of the West, accelerate Russia's turn to rapidly developing countries - primarily China and India.

“The Russian Federation is actually being pushed into the Asian markets, against this background, global prices for oil and petroleum products are growing.

In this situation, Russia has the opportunity to earn on the supply of black gold as before, ”concluded Yushkov.