Russia promised on Monday to hit Japan with countermeasures in response to Tokyo's imposition of sanctions against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

Japan has joined the West in hitting Russia with an unprecedented package of sanctions in the four months since Russia launched its war against Ukraine.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced Tokyo's latest moves earlier on Monday, including a ban on Russian gold imports, new asset freezes and export bans on a host of Russian individuals and companies.

Russia's ambassador to Japan slammed the move and blamed Tokyo for destroying relations between the two countries.

Sanctions are "short-sighted and harm Japan itself, especially the business community," ambassador Mikhail Galuzin said in a statement posted on the Russian embassy's Facebook page.

"Of course, such an increase in a hostile policy towards Russia will be taken into account by us in our future approach towards Japan and will not go unanswered," he added.

Russia has responded to the West's sweeping sanctions with a series of tit-for-tat moves, including entry bans for journalists, politicians and business figures from the United States, Britain and Canada. (Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)


Reuters