Japan has announced sanctions on the Palestinian group Hamas, which was responsible for a major terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October.
Japan’s foreign ministry announced this week a freeze on assets belonging to a number of individuals and a company that has provided funds to Hamas. It indicated that additional sanctions might be levied ‘from the viewpoint of dealing with fundraising for terrorism.’
The individuals concerned are of Palestinian, Sudanese, Egyptian and Jordanian nationality, with one also holding Turkish citizenship. A firm, ‘Buy Cash Money and Money Transfer Company’, was being used to transfer foreign exchange into and out of Gaza.
Japan has tried to balance its alliance with the US and good relations with Israel with the need to maintain the approval of oil-producing countries in the Middle East. It has condemned Hamas, abstained from a vote at the UN calling for a humanitarian truce, and pledged relief funds for Gaza.
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