Bessent states on X that he has conveyed the US "expectation" that Japan will cease its import of energy from Russia. He writes that he has conveyed the request to his Japanese counterpart Katsunobu Kato.
Japan is heavily dependent on imports of oil and gas from abroad, and according to the news agency AFP, the country imported Russian gas worth the equivalent of 24 billion kronor during the year 2023.
It is unclear how the Japanese government views Scott Bessent's move.
I want to refrain from discussing what other ministers have said, says Kato to Japanese media.
We are determined to do what we can to achieve a just peace in Ukraine by coordinating our efforts with the other G7 countries.
The US President Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday evening, Swedish time, that India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to cease his purchases of Russian oil.
