Japan must lift sanctions to resume Russian oil supplies — Russian ambassador

TASS · 🇷🇺 public Russia · May 09, 2026 · 332 words

Energy security Sanctions Impact Geopolitical Influence (US-Japan-Russia)

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What to know about Energy security

Russian Ambassador Nikolay Nozdrev discusses Japan's reduction of Russian energy imports following G7 policies, noting that Tokyo continues to participate in certain LNG projects. The article mentions that Japan has not requested a resumption of oil supplies and highlights the impact of US sanctions on the Arctic LNG 2 project.

Propaganda risk 40%

Claims checked 10

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center88%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

As part of the "collective course" pursued by G7 countries, Japan decided to abandon Russian oil and gas and now purchases only small volumes of oil from the Sakhalin-2 project once or twice a year, from which it receives about 9% of all imported LNG, Russian…

Why it matters

"Through Tokyo’s efforts, bilateral cooperation in the energy sphere has been reduced to a minimum.

Common ground

Japan, which is almost entirely dependent on energy imports from abroad, decided as part of the collective course of the Group of Seven to abandon Russian oil and coal," he said, noting that Tokyo has managed "to a certain extent" to defend the importance of…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Transfer, Oversimplification: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Energy security story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that Japan... decided as part of the collective course of the Group of Seven to abandon Russian oil and coal?
How does this story connect Energy security with Sanctions Impact over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/economy/2128885

analyticsAnalysis

40%

Propaganda Score

confidence: 90%

Moderate concerns. Notable use of persuasive or loaded language.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Transfer 70% confidence

Projecting positive or negative qualities of one thing onto another to make it accepted or rejected.

Why it matters: Recognizing transfer helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Oversimplification 60% confidence

Reducing a complex issue to a simplistic framing that distorts understanding.

Why it matters: Recognizing oversimplification helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 10 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

help Insufficient Evidence 2

cancel Disputed 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified Verified 1

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Claim 1: “Japan... decided as part of the collective course of the Group of Seven to abandon Russian oil and coal”

CORROBORATED

Web search results confirm Japan largely suspended Russian oil purchases following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, aligning with G7 collective actions.

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web search NEUTRAL — The purchase marks Japan's first Russian crude import since June 2025 — itself an intermittent resumption after Tokyo largely suspended Russian oil purchases following Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukrain…
https://www.intellinews.com/japan-quietly-resumes-russian-oi…

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web search NEUTRAL — India is taking advantage of cheaper oil imported from Russia. Major Russian banks have also been removed from the international financial messaging system Swift. Countries continuing to trade with Ru…
https://www.bbc.com/news/58888451

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web search NEUTRAL — Europe punished Russian billionaires over the war in Ukraine. It should do the same to those abetting an ecocidal regime, says Guardian Europe columnist Alexander Hurst.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/06/donald…

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Claim 2: “Japan also maintains participation in another LNG project, Arctic LNG 2”

DISPUTED

While the claim states Japan maintains participation, one web search result explicitly states that Mitsui & Co. (a Japanese firm) decided to pull its employees out of the Arctic LNG 2 project due to US sanctions.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Arctic LNG 2 (Russian: Арктик СПГ 2) is a Novatek project for the extraction of natural gas and the production of liquefied natural gas on the Gydan Peninsula, across the Ob Bay from Yamal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arctic_LNG_2

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). It is designed to transport LNG at cryogenic temperatures of around -162°C (-260°F). These vessels use heavily insu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LNG_carrier

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Yamal LNG (Russian: ОАО "Ямал СПГ") is a joint venture led by Novatek based around a liquefied natural gas plant located in Sabetta at the north-east of the Yamal Peninsula, northwest Siberia, Russia.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamal_LNG

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Japan decided to abandon Russian oil and gas and now purchases only small volumes of oil from the Sakhalin-2 project once or twice a year”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that Japan has largely suspended Russian oil imports since 2022 but continues to import small quantities from the Sakhalin-2 project approximately once a year due to US exemptions.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Japan has continued importing small quantities of Russian oil about once a year since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 thanks to the exemption from sanctions granted by Washington to the Sak…
https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2026/0…

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web search NEUTRAL — Japanese refiner Idemitsu Kosan has purchased a shipment of Russian crude oil, the company told Russian state media on Friday, becoming the second firm in Japan to buy oil from Russia since the ...
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/08/second-japanese-re…

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web search NEUTRAL — Japan has largely suspended purchases of oil from Russia after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. A U.S. exemption for oil sales from the Sakhalin-2 project, which largely produces the ...
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/japans-taiyo-oil-rec…

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Claim 4: “At the request of the Japanese authorities, the oil was purchased by Taiyo Oil and Idemitsu Kosan”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided to confirm that Taiyo Oil and Idemitsu Kosan purchased oil specifically at the request of Japanese authorities.

verified

Claim 5: “Tokyo has not approached Moscow about resuming oil supplies”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While search results discuss Japan's dilemma and the resumption of some imports, none of the provided evidence explicitly confirms or denies whether Tokyo has formally 'approached Moscow' to request the resumption of supplies.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Japanese Russian or Russian Japanese may refer to: Japanese-Russian relations (cf. "a Japanese-Russian treaty") Japanese language education in Russia (cf. "Russian Japanese education") Cyrillization …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Russian

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Russians in Japan (Japanese: 在日ロシア人, Zai-Nichi Roshia-jin; Russian: Русские в Японии, romanized: Russkije v Japonii) comprises every ethnic Russian living in Japan. They are one of the largest ethnic …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russians_in_Japan

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major la…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Japanese_War

+ 3 more evidence sources

verified

Claim 6: “Exceptions to the price cap apply only to oil from Sakhalin-2, whose deliveries are linked to LNG supplies”

VERIFIED

Wikipedia confirms the existence of the G7 price cap on Russian oil, and web search results specifically mention the US exemption granted to the Sakhalin-2 project.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As part of the sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War, on September 2, 2022, finance ministers of the G7 group of nations agreed to cap the price of Russian…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_crude_oil_price_c…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Following the full declaration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started on 24 February 2022, institutions such as the United States, the European Union, and other Western countries introduced…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_sanctions_during…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “from which it receives about 9% of all imported LNG”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search results explicitly state that Sakhalin-2 accounts for 9% of Japan's LNG imports.

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web search NEUTRAL — Japan, the world's top liquefied natural gas (LNG) importer, is facing its latest challenge in securing vital gas supplies from Russia after Western reinsurers said they would halt marine war insuranc…
https://www.ibtimes.com/explainer-how-will-japan-resolve-shi…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sakhalin-2 accounts for 9% of Japan's LNG imports. A senior Japanese official told the Yomiuri Shimbun daily that Tokyo will protest any discrimination against the Mitsui and Mitsubishi holding compan…
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/tokyo-to-protes…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sakhalin II is of significant importance to Japan which sourced 9% of its total LNG imports (around 100 cargoes) from the Russian project in 2021.
https://www.worldports.org/russian-decree-on-sakhalin-ii-thr…

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Claim 8: “due to US sanctions cannot receive gas from it [Arctic LNG 2]”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that US sanctions have delayed shipments and forced Japanese companies (like Mitsui) to withdraw personnel from the Arctic LNG 2 project.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “The Japanese side received a small volume of oil from Sakhalin-2 in early May”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to confirm a specific delivery in early May.

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Claim 10: “The Japanese side has not abandoned purchases of liquefied natural gas or participation in the project [Sakhalin-2]”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Japan's intent to secure participation in Sakhalin-2 and the continued importance of its LNG imports from the project.

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web search NEUTRAL — Sakhalin-2 contributes to around 9 percent of Japan's LNG imports. Earlier this month, a senior Japanese official told the Yomiuri Shimbun Daily that Tokyo will protest any discrimination against the …
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/japans-governme…

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web search NEUTRAL — The amount of Japan’s LNG imports is expected to remain secure so long as Japan maintains its investment in Sakhalin-2. However, if Japan has to buy LNG in the spot market, procurement costs could inc…
https://www.csis.org/analysis/resolved-japan-should-maintain…

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web search NEUTRAL — Some Japanese electricity and gas companies are ready to soon sign fresh contracts with the new Russian operator of the Sakhalin-2 gas and oil extraction project.
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14698625

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.