Japan Protests Russian Move on JTI Assets
Japan has urged Russia to reverse the placement of four JTI businesses under temporary management. Moscow’s ambassador in Tokyo was formally notified of the protest.
Japan’s Foreign Ministry lodged a protest with Russian Ambassador Nikolai Nozdrev after four local businesses belonging to Japan Tobacco International were placed under the temporary control of a Russian company. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (svoboda.org) reported the development on Friday, November 6.
A decree signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 5 assigned the companies to JSC Industrial Assets. The measure covers the Petro factory in St. Petersburg, JTI Donskoy Tabak in Rostov-on-Don, JTI Yelets in the Lipetsk region and Kres Neva in the Leningrad region.
Kimitake Nakamura, a senior official overseeing European affairs at the Japanese Foreign Ministry, and Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama called for the decision to be withdrawn. Katayama said Tokyo would monitor the case and coordinate its response with relevant ministries and Japan Tobacco.
JTI has operated in Russia since 1999 and employs about 4,000 people in the country. Kyodo News estimated that the Russian division accounts for roughly one-tenth of the group’s total revenue.