A new split in the G7: Japan refuses to support tariffs against China and India
17 September 2025 10:05
Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato has rejected the US proposal to impose higher duties on China and India over their imports of Russian oil. This indicates another serious disagreement among the Group of Seven countries over new sanctions measures against Moscow, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports citing Bloomberg.
Kato said that Japan has pledged under the World Trade Organization not to impose duties beyond the established limits and to treat all member states fairly.
“It would be difficult for us to raise duties to, say, 50% just because a certain country imports oil from Russia,” he said,
– he said.
Tokyo’s refusal was a response to Washington’s proposal during the G7 online meeting on Friday to impose duties of up to 100% on China and India because they continue to buy Russian oil.
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Energy cooperation between Japan and Russia
It is worth noting that Japan itself continues to import oil and liquefied natural gas from Russia.
Tokyo sees Russia’s Sakhalin-2 export project, located to the north of Japan, as a key source of LNG supplies for the country. These supplies are not subject to Western restrictions, as is LNG from this plant.
Also, according to the Ministry of Commerce, about 1% of Japan’s oil imports in June came from Russia.
“We are considering what type of pressure might be most effective and are coordinating closely with our G7 partners,”
– Kato said, speaking about possible measures to stop Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
New sanctions packages on the way
G7 officials are currently working on a new package of sanctions and plan to finalize the text within the next two weeks, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The US proposal includes secondary tariffs of 50% to 100% against China and India, as well as restrictive trade measures on imports and exports to cut off Russian energy flows and prevent the transfer of dual-use technologies to Russia.
Separately, Trump has declared his readiness to impose “serious” sanctions on Russian energy exports if NATO countries support this initiative. Although many European countries have reduced or stopped importing Russian oil, some NATO members, including Hungary, oppose the EU’s tougher proposals on the Russian energy sector.
As reported , Trump is demanding that Europe wean itself off Russian oil immediately, not in 2028, but the EU continues to fund the Russian war machine.
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