Japan Lifts Sanctions on 16 Syrian Entities to Support Reconstruction
Japan said 16 entities, including financial firms and oil companies, will be removed from sanctions as 59 individuals and 15 entities remain listed.
- On Tuesday, Japan's Cabinet in Tokyo approved easing sanctions on 16 Syrian entities, including financial institutions and oil companies previously subject to asset freezes.
- An interim government is working to rebuild Syria following the December 2024 collapse of the Assad regime. Japan first imposed these sanctions in 2011, targeting 59 individuals and 35 organizations to pressure the former autocratic rule.
- Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara oversaw the adjustment, confirming that 59 individuals and 15 entities remain subject to sanctions while supporting the Syrian government's reconstruction efforts.
- "Many of the organisations on which sanctions have been lifted are expected to play a part in Syria's reconstruction," Kihara said. Stability and development in Syria are directly linked to stability across West Asia.
- The move aligns with broader shifts among Western countries; the United States and the European Union have also eased sanctions against Syria, while Japan previously lifted measures on four entities in May 2025.
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On Tuesday, Japan announced the lifting of the assets freeze and other restrictions on 16 Syrian destinations, including the Ministries of Defence and the Interior, while maintaining the sanctions imposed on 59 persons, including the head of the former regime, Bashar al-Assad, and 15 associated entities.
According to a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government took the decision "taking into account the subsequent events [to the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in 2024] in the situation around Syria and considering the bilateral relationship".
Japan lifts sanctions on 16 Syrian entities to support reconstruction
TOKYO: Japan on Tuesday (Sept 29) decided to further ease sanctions on Syria, lifting measures against 16 entities in an effort to support the country's reconstruction following the 2024 collapse of former President Bashar al-Assad's regime, Kyodo News reported.
Japan lifted sanctions on several Syrian government entities, state-owned companies, and banks.
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