Japan, Australia, New Zealand impose penalties on Russia following invasion into Ukraine

Japan, Australia and New Zealand announced that they would be imposing penalties against Russia after it invaded Ukraine early Thursday.

Japan and Australia, both of which had already announced sanctions against Russia prior to the invasion, announced on Friday that they would be levying more against Moscow.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison also said that his country would be sanctioning “key Belarusian individuals and entities” and 300 Russian lawmakers who voted in favor of attacking Ukraine, The New York Times reported. The country also noted that it was working together with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to give Ukraine “non-lethal military equipment and medical supplies.” 

Meanwhile, Japanese ​​Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, which included suspending the issuing of visas to certain Russian entities and people, export controls on certain items such as semiconductors and a freeze on assets held by financial institutions in Russia, The Japan Times reported.

“It is an extremely serious situation with ramifications for the international order, not just in Europe but Asia and beyond,” the Japanese prime minister said during his news conference. “Japan needs to show its resolve not to allow any change to the status quo by force.”

Japan’s sanctions were similar to those announced by President Biden on Thursday, which now included targeting more Russian elites with Kremlin associations and major Russian banks and imposing export controls on certain American technology such as lasers and semiconductors. 

Though New Zealand does not have an autonomous sanctions law, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also announced several moves against Russia, including bans on exports to the Russian military and on Russian officials and others traveling to New Zealand, The Wall Street Journal reported.