Japan to Expel 8 Russians Including Diplomats

Japan's Foreign Ministry announced, on Friday, that they will expel eight Russians including diplomats to stop the country's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Tokyo has been working with the United States and European countries to step up pressure on Russia to end its military operations in Ukraine.

"We will work further to reduce our dependency on Russia by pushing forward the persification of energy sources including renewables and nuclear power," industry minister Koichi Hagiuda told a regular news conference.

This move came after G-7 foreign ministers strongly condemned Russia for its "atrocities" in the East European country.

During a meeting in Brussels, the ministers agreed to "sustain and increase pressure on Russia by imposing coordinated additional restrictive measures" unless it stops the invasion of its neighbor.

The G7 leaders- of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States- also vowed in a joint statement to "expedite" plans to end their energy dependence on Russia by gradually reducing and prohibiting Russian coal imports to punish Moscow.

Moreover, the major developed countries will bar new investments in energy and other key sectors of the Russian economy. On Thursday, the European Union agreed on an import ban on Russian coal.

Officials also noted that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will announce additional sanctions on Russia, including detailing the coal import restrictions, in a press conference on Friday evening.