Japan Coordinating with West over Possible Ukraine Contingency

Tokyo, Feb. 14 (Jiji Press)--Japan is coordinating with the United States and related European countries on the specifics of possible sanctions against Russia in the event of its invasion into Ukraine, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday.

Kishida made the revelation at a meeting of executives of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party.

At a meeting of the government's National Security Council earlier in the day, Kishida gave instructions to make every effort to coordinate with relevant countries to prepare for a contingency.

The Foreign Ministry, meanwhile, is calling for Japanese nationals in Ukraine to evacuate, citing the possibility of Russian forces entering Ukraine as early as Wednesday.

In a joint statement released Monday, the finance ministers of the Group of Seven countries said that they are prepared to impose major economic and financial sanctions against Russia.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]