Putin orders seizure of more Japan Tobacco assets in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the seizure of additional assets belonging to Japan Tobacco Inc. in Russia, following a decree signed on Friday that placed shares in three Japanese-owned tobacco companies under temporary management of a Russian entity. This latest move comes a day after Putin signed an earlier decree to seize assets of Japan Tobacco's four units in the country, drawing protests from the Japanese government.

The Russian government cited a 2023 executive order allowing for the placement of assets belonging to individuals from unfriendly nations under Russian control in response to sanctions imposed on Moscow following its invasion of Ukraine. This escalation in pressure on Japan includes Putin's first visit to a Japanese-claimed island in the Russian Far East in August, and the detention of a Japanese journalist in the region in October on espionage suspicion.

Despite ongoing withdrawals of Japanese companies from the Russian market due to the conflict with Ukraine, Japan Tobacco has maintained operations in the country.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.