TOKYO, May 12 (Reuters) – Japan and the European Union (EU) have agreed to continue cooperation over sanctions imposed on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Thursday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and Fumio Kishida said at a joint Tokyo press conference that they would continue to discuss ways to strengthen their partnership to sanction Russia, particularly in the energy sector.
“We welcome Japan’s increasingly firm position towards Russia,” said Ursula von der Leyen at the start of the interview.
Tokyo joined the European Union and the Group of Seven in imposing sanctions on Russia that reduced Moscow’s oil and gas export capabilities.
Japan is extremely dependent on energy imports, particularly from Russia. Last week, Fumio Kishida said Japan would “in principle” ban Russian oil, but was more reluctant to pull out of some projects. (Report Sakura Murakami and Elaine Lies, written by Kenneth Maxwell; French version Camille Raynaud)