Japan has levied sanctions against several individuals and a company that are allegedly connected to the Hamas group, according to a statement released by Japan’s foreign ministry on Tuesday.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hayashi Yoshimasa said that, in conjunction with the sanctions, Japan will freeze assets belonging to three individuals and impose restrictions on payments and capital transactions.
These sanctions mark the first time Japan has taken action against Hamas since the group’s deadly rampage on Oct. 7, which Israeli authorities state resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 people (revised downward from their initial claim of 1,400).
The individuals targeted by the sanctions, although not named, are believed to have been involved in the October 7 attacks and are suspected of having the capacity to use funds to carry out similar attacks in the future, according to Yoshimasa.
Japan recently added Hamas operatives Muhammad Ahmad Abd Al-Dayim Nasrallah and Ayman Nofal to its list of designated terrorists.