Japan has approved additional sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine, including freezing the assets of dozens of individuals and groups and banning exports to dozens of organizations in Russia and several other countries that have allegedly helped it evade sanctions.

On December 31, 2024, the American business daily Financial Times revealed that it had got its hands on secret Russian military files dating back to the early 2000s. In the just-published investigation,

Japan announced a significant expansion of sanctions against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. This move is part of an international effort to increase pressure on Russia and stop the ongoing conflict.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has welcomed the decision of the Japanese government to introduce a new package of sanctions against Russia, including an asset freeze targeting 33 legal entities and 12 individuals,

Japan will also ban the export of 335 more goods, including small motorcycles and components for special-purpose vehicles such as cranes, to Russia starting on Jan. 23. The aim is to strengthen Japan's response to North Korea's support for Russia and Moscow's use of third countries to evade sanctions.

LIVE: Is Russia Planning a War Against Japan and South Korea? | Vantage with Palki Sharma Russia has set its sights on new targets—Japan and South Korea. Leaked military documents reveal that the Russian military has compiled a list of 160 potential targets across both countries,

Russia developed offensive plans targeting civilian and military sites in Japan and South Korea in the event of a war with NATO, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 31, citing documents shown to the outlet by Western sources.

Japan’s military chiefs are warning that the country faces its most severe and complex security environment since World War II, attributing the outlook to China, Russia, North Korea and instability in the Middle East.

The United States warned on Wednesday that North Korea is benefiting from its troops fighting alongside Russia against Ukraine, gaining experience that makes Pyongyang "more capable of waging war against its neighbors.

The male Siberian cat, named Mir, was gifted by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Akita Governor Norihisa Satake as a symbol of friendship between Russia and Japan. Mir recently departed for feline heaven.

On Christmas Day, authorities in Estonia and Finland noted the sudden interruption of the Estlink 2 undersea electricity cable linking their two nations - just as ship tracking data showed the Cook Islands-registered "Eagle S" passing outbound from Russia’s Baltic coast en route to Egypt.

Japan on Fridayannounced asset freezes for dozens of individuals and entities, as well as sweeping export bans, as part of sanctions against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine. Tokyo’s asset freeze list expanded to 11 Russian executives and one North Korean,