Tokyo Reportedly Intended to Help Countries That Did Not Support Condemnation of Russia

TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japan’s Ministry of Finance has discovered that a decision has been made to allocate aid to over a dozen countries that do not share Tokyo’s official stance with respect to Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, a Japanese broadcaster reported.

As part of Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) program, aid will be sent to 19 countries that did not support the condemnation of Russia in the United Nations, the report said.

In particular, it was decided to allocate assistance to Laos in the amount of 2.9 billion yen ($20 million), Vietnam - 1.7 billion yen ($12 million), Iran - 1.6 billion yen ($11 million), as well as other countries for a total of 12.8 billion yen ($91 million).

According to the report, Japan’s Ministry of Finance thinks that these aid allocations must be reviewed; while the foreign ministry, which assists in distributing the funds, sees no inconsistencies in the allocation of aid to these countries, since it includes support to non-governmental organizations and the decision to provide support was made on the basis of diplomatic significance and the development of humanitarian assistance.

Since the beginning of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Japan has imposed sanctions against over 900 Russian individuals and 280 Russian companies and organizations, as well as 11 banks, becoming one of the most active countries in terms of measures against Russia.