Japan will impose sanctions on Belarus as early as this week for its role in Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday.

"Given Belarus' obvious involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine, we have decided to take sanction measures against individuals including President (Alexander) Lukashenko as well as entities, and implement export control measures," Kishida said in parliament.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a House of Councillors budget committee session in Tokyo on March 2, 2022. (Kyodo)

"These should be carried out as early as within this week," Kishida said, as Belarus, known for its close ties with Russia, has served as an entry point for Moscow's forces invading Ukraine.

In the House of Councillors Budget Committee session, Kishida again dismissed former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's suggestion that Japan commence discussions on the possibility of a nuclear sharing arrangement with the United States in the wake of Russia's aggression in Ukraine, a non-nuclear state.

"It is hard to allow for such an idea, and the government has no plan to discuss it," Kishida said, reiterating the idea is not in line with Japan's three non-nuclear principles of not producing, possessing or allowing nuclear arms on its territory.

In World War II, the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were devastated by U.S. atomic bombs. Elected from a Hiroshima constituency, Kishida has called for a world free of nuclear weapons.

Over the Russian invasion, Japan has imposed various sanctions against Russia, including its officials and companies, and has suggested taking further measures in close cooperation with other countries.

With the United States and European countries banning Russian aircraft from flying over their territories, Kishida said Japan will consider "what is an appropriate response for our country while working with the international community, including Group of Seven nations, in view of the situation."

Kishida also called for understanding from the public for the economic fallout of the sanctions saying, "Japanese firms cannot escape the impact."

"We will do everything to curb the impact on people," Kishida said, adding he will work with oil-producing countries to limit a sharp rise in gasoline prices.

The International Energy Agency said Tuesday its member countries, including the United States and Japan, agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil from emergency reserves to ensure the stability of oil markets amid the Ukraine crisis.

But oil prices soared to multiyear highs after U.S. oil major Exxon Mobil Corp. said it is exiting Sakhalin 1, a massive oil and gas project in eastern Russia.

The exit followed British oil major Shell PLC's announcement of its withdrawal from the Sakhalin 2 project on the same island of Sakhalin in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.


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