Japan, US agree to maintain sanctions on Russia, support Ukraine

Tokyo: Japan and the United States said on Tuesday they would continue to work with each other in maintaining the sanctions against Russia and supporting Ukraine in line with an agreement the Group of Seven industrialised nations reached last year.

During an hour-long meeting with visiting US Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo, Japan's Vice Finance Minister for International Affairs Masato Kanda, said the two sides also exchanged candid views on the global economy among other issues.

The G7, comprising Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy and the European Union, had pledged in May to restrict exports to Russia that could fund its war effort in Ukraine. Japan was the group's chair in 2023.

Western countries, led by the United States, have sent billions of dollars in weapons and economic support to Ukraine since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.