Sanctions overview: individuals, banks, and corporate targets in Japan’s measures against Russia

Personal sanctions

New restrictions on individuals linked to Russia were announced, targeting figures from the State Duma and military leadership. Among those named are Deputy Speaker of the State Duma Irina Yarovaya and several other deputies in the lower house, including Vadim Shuvalov, Mikhail Sheremet, Vladislav Tretiak, Pyotr Tolstoy, Leonid Slutsky, Yaroslav Nilov, Vitaly Milonov, Anatoly Wasserman, and Maria Butina.

Senior military commanders were also affected. The list includes the Navy Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Evmenov, the Army Commander-in-Chief Oleg Salyukov, the Air Force Commander-in-Chief Sergei Dronov, and the Aviation Forces Commander Sergei Dronov. Also named were Sergey Surovikin, Rustam Muradov, and Alexei Avdeev, who leads the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, with Andrey Sychevoi noted in connection with southern command units.

Daughters of the Russian president, Yekaterina Tikhonova and Maria Vorontsova, were added to the sanctions. The list also includes the wife and daughter of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Maria Lavrova and Ekaterina Vinokurova. All are barred from entering Japan, and their assets within the country are frozen. The updated sanctions list comprises 499 names in total.

Companies and banks

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that restrictive measures were imposed on 28 organizations to support international peace and security as part of its broader foreign policy aims.

Among the entities targeted are JSC NPK Tekhmash, MKB Vympel, Ryazan Design Bureau Globus, Arzamas Research and Production Enterprise Temp-Avia, and Arsenyev Aviation Plant Progress named after NI Sazykin.

Additionally, the sanctions freeze the assets of Sberbank and Alfa-Bank starting May 12, and from that date new investments in Russia require special permission. Koichi Hagiuda, head of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, indicated that from April 19 Japan would ban imports of certain wood species, several machine types, and alcohol from Russia, according to RIA Novosti.

“We will continue to cooperate with the international community, including the G7, and strive to take appropriate measures,” a government official stated.

550 people

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a new sanctions package against Russia on April 8. As part of the package, asset freezes were planned for Sberbank and about 550 Russian individuals, along with a ban on new investments and some imports from Russia. Japan also planned to halt imports of Russian coal.

“An additional freeze will likely affect around 400 Russian citizens, including deputies and military-related figures, as well as roughly 20 organizations tied to the military sector,” Kishida stated during a press conference.

sanctions packages

In early March, Japan sanctioned several top Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev, and Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev.

The measures extended to 49 Russian departments, banks, and companies, notably the FSB, GRU, Sukhoi JSC, RAC MiG JSC, Rostec state corporations, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, VEB, and Promsvyazbank. The sanctions include asset freezes and a broad export ban on goods that could enhance military capabilities.

Subsequently, the Russian foreign ministry reported that the sanctions decision reflected the current international situation around Ukraine and aimed to support global efforts to restore peace. The list was later expanded to include Russian business figures such as Alisher Usmanov, Gennady Timchenko, Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, among others, as announced by the presidential press secretary and other officials.