Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki (片山さつき) called for the withdrawal of the Russian presidential decree temporarily placing the production sites of Japan Tobacco's overseas subsidiary under Russian control. She said Japan had protested through diplomatic channels and would continue to respond appropriately in coordination with the relevant ministries.
At a press conference following a Cabinet meeting held in Tokyo, Finance Minister Katayama Satsuki (片山さつき) disclosed that she had called for the withdrawal of the Russian presidential decree placing under the control of a Russian company the production sites in Russia owned by an overseas subsidiary of Japan Tobacco (JT). She also indicated that the government would respond appropriately in coordination with the relevant ministries.
Following the Cabinet meeting, METI Minister Akazawa Ryosei (赤沢亮正) said that senior METI officials and others visiting Russia had protested to the Russian government and called for urgent action, including withdrawal of the measure. An explanation after the Cabinet meeting indicated that the government would continue to strengthen efforts to safeguard the assets.
Akazawa Ryosei (赤沢亮正) explained that cases of Western companies' assets being placed under temporary administration in Russia had increased since September. He said that, given the growing need to strengthen efforts to safeguard Japanese companies' assets, securing asset protection had been set as the purpose of the visit to Russia.
At the press conference, Katayama Satsuki (片山さつき) disclosed that the government had decided to spend ¥10 billion from the fiscal 2026 general-account contingency reserves to advance cybersecurity measures. The decision was approved by the Cabinet on the same day.