⚡️ Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s statement on Japan’s latest anti-Russian actions (October 5, 2026)

💬 The Japanese Government continues to take reckless steps, further eroding what little remains of Japan’s relations with Russia.

On October 2, Tokyo announced its 27th “package” of illegitimate measures against our country, targeting 33 Russian legal entities and nine individuals, as well as several companies abroad.

For the first time, these unfriendly measures also include restrictions on shipping.

We took note of the Japanese authorities’ clumsy attempts to justify these hostile actions, entirely unprovoked by Russia, by citing the “current international situation over Ukraine”, and to cynically portray them as a “contribution to efforts for achieving international peace”.

👉 We see this as further evidence that Tokyo’s foreign policy lacks independence.

It is dictated by Japan’s unquestioning alignment with its so-called like-minded partners in the Euro-Atlantic region, who are pathologically fixated on inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia, rather than by its national interests.

Clearly, in seeking to keep pace with other Russophobes, Sanae Takaichi’s Government is pushing the prospect of lasting peace in Ukraine further out of reach.

Tokyo has once again demonstrated its disregard for international law and bilateral agreements.

The 1957 Treaty of Commerce, which remains in force between our countries, explicitly guarantees, among other things, treatment for vessels and their crews in all matters relating to merchant shipping on terms no less favourable than those granted to any third country.

❗️ Tokyo’s unfriendly actions will prompt proportionate countermeasures on our part, primarily targeting areas of interest to Japan.