Russia’s Japan Tobacco Asset Seizure Puts Tokyo’s Resolve to the Test

Russia’s seizure of assets from a Japanese company may prove to be a red line for Tokyo after a series of acrimonious exchanges between the two nations and ties that continue to spiral.

Japan’s government on Friday filed a formal complaint with Russia and asked Moscow to immediately reverse a decree issued the day before that transferred the assets of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) to Russian control.

Analysts said the decree, signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared to be a deliberate move by Moscow, particularly given that Japan holds more than one-third of the company’s shares.

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