Kantaro Koiya and Jumin Park

TOKYO, Reuters – Japan announced Friday that it would impose sanctions against 15 Russian people and 9 organisations. This includes defence officials as well as the exporter of state-owned weapons Rosoboronexport.

These sanctions include asset freezing and are part of a series of actions taken by Japan after Russia invaded Ukraine.

According to the Finance Ministry, Japan now has sanctions against 76 people, 7 banks, and 12 other organizations in Russia.

According to the government, Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, and other military equipment manufacturers, including United Aircraft Corp (which manufactures fighter-jets), would be sanctioned on Friday.

Rahm Emanuel the U.S. Ambassador to Japan, was kind enough to praise Japan’s actions.

In a statement, the ambassador claimed that “these sanctions struck at the heart Russian’s warmachine.”

The U.S. Air Force’s cargo flight took in helmets, and other military equipment donated by Japan for Ukraine.

Japan is a key U.S. security ally. It still holds stakes in Russian gas and oil projects on Sakhalin Island, Russia. Exxon Mobil (NYSE:) Expelled from these projects.

On Wednesday, Fumio Kishida, Prime Minister of Japan, did not give any clear indications about the future of Japan’s investments in these projects. This underlines both Japan’s importance and the fact that he intends to follow the G7 peer’s sanctions against Russia.

According to the Russian Ambassador to Japan, it makes sense to keep Sakhalin’s energy projects “mutually beneficial”.