The Japanese government on Friday announced additional sanctions against Russia amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, targeting a so-called shadow fleet of vessels engaged in transporting sanctioned oil from Russia. Joining international efforts to crack down on sanctions evasion by the fleet, Japan has decided to impose restrictions on the provision of services to 35 vessels, according to the Foreign Ministry. The measures restrict the provision of services including insurance, maritime transport, crew employment and dispatch, and repairs to the vessels, which include cargo ships and tankers. The sanctioned vessels are believed to transport Russian crude oil to countries including China and India, with those exports providing a major source of revenue for Moscow. Japan also announced restrictions on payments and transactions involving 33 entities and nine individuals associated with Russia. An additional 102 goods have been made subject to restrictions on exports to Russia. Four entities based in the United Arab Emirates and Turkey have also been made subject to export prohibitions, the ministry said. The move is aimed at reducing the revenue available to Russia to fund its war in Ukraine, as it continues the full-scale invasion of its neighbour that it launched in February 2022. Japan, in lockstep with the other Group of Seven members, has imposed economic sanctions on Russia, including freezing the assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin and other individuals. The latest sanctions come a day after Putin expressed interest at an event in Moscow in pursuing “mutually beneficial” relations between Japan and Russia once current difficulties between the sides are overcome. Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara, the top government spokesman, said on Friday morning that Tokyo had taken note of the remarks and added that it is “important” for the countries to maintain communication. Japan and Russia are also engaged in a dispute over Russian-held, Japanese-claimed islands off Hokkaido called the Northern Territories by Tokyo and the Southern Kurils by Moscow. In August, Putin visited one of the islands for the first time as president, dealing a fresh blow to ties.