Japan’s Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato has stated that Tokyo will not increase tariffs on countries importing Russian oil, Bloomberg reported. The minister underlined that Japan remains bound by its commitments within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and cannot apply discriminatory tariffs beyond its agreed ceilings.
WTO Commitments Limit Japan’s Tariff Actions
Kato stressed that Japan is obliged to treat all WTO member states fairly as long as they comply with the organization’s agreements.
“It would be difficult for us to raise tariffs, say, to 50%, simply on the grounds that a certain country imports oil from Russia,”
he explained.
Japan Coordinates with G7 Partners
The finance chief noted that Tokyo is studying what forms of pressure on Moscow may be most effective and is coordinating closely with its partners in the G7. On September 12, G7 countries discussed new sanctions against Russia during an online meeting.
U.S. Pushes for Tariffs on China and India
At the same meeting, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urged G7 partners to consider imposing tariffs of up to 100% on China and India for continuing to purchase Russian oil. According to Bessent, such measures are essential if the West is “truly determined to end” the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv.
Japan itself continues to import small volumes of Russian oil, accounting for around 1% of total imports in June, according to the Ministry of Trade. Tokyo also buys Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and views the Sakhalin-2 project as a critical source of LNG supplies, Bloomberg noted.
Washington has also appealed to NATO countries to halt Russian oil purchases, warning that otherwise “serious sanctions” could be imposed against Moscow. However, Turkey and Hungary are unlikely to support this proposal, according to reporting by The New York Times.
