The measures, unveiled on Thursday, also target companies in India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, as well as Russian entities and officials.

Among the sanctioned firms are China-based Yilufa Electronics Limited and Hong Kong-based Asia Pacific Links, both accused of providing microchips for Russian drones, according to Reuters. China is noted as Russia's leading source of dual-use goods critical for the Russian defense industry.

The new Japanese sanctions list includes ten officials from the Russian government electorate commission and executives from companies within the Russian military-industrial complex. Additionally, 27 Russia-based organizations have been blacklisted for their involvement in the occupation of Ukrainian territories and other activities.

The sanctions entail freezing assets and imposing restrictions on transactions.

While Japan has refrained from providing lethal military aid to Ukraine, it has been a strong supporter of Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion. In April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky noted that Japan had provided over $12 billion in non-military assistance since the start of the full-scale war.

Japan has also aligned with the international sanctions regime against Russia and participated in measures taken by the Group of Seven (G7) against Moscow. (ILKHA)