Russia bans entry of 13 Japanese executives in response to Japan’s ongoing sanctions

Russia bans top Japanese business leaders, including Toyota chairman, in response to Japan's sanctions on Ukraine.

Russia has banned the head of Toyota and 12 other senior Japanese business figures from entering the country, prompting a protest by Tokyo on July 24.

The list published by Russia's foreign ministry on Tuesday includes Toyota chairman Akio Toyoda, Rakuten chief Hiroshi Mikitani and Akihiko Tanaka, president of the government-backed Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The decision was a "response to Japan's ongoing sanctions against our country in connection with the special military operation", the foreign ministry statement said, using Moscow's term for its invasion of Ukraine.

It did not explain how individuals were chosen for the list, which did not include the heads of major Japanese firms like Mitsubishi, Honda and Sony.

Japan has strongly backed the Western position on Ukraine, providing Kyiv with financial and material support and sanctioning Russian individuals and organisations.

Japan's pacifist constitution restricts it from exporting weapons, but in December, Tokyo loosened arms export controls to enable it to sell domestically made Patriot missiles to the United States.

The move was aimed at replenishing U.S. inventories of the air defence missile systems that have run low because of supplies sent to Ukraine.