Japan on Tuesday imposed some modest sanctions on Russia for its recognition of Crimea as an independent state—suspending talks on relaxing visa requirements between the two countries and talks on investment, space exploration and military cooperation. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement that Japan does not recognize the outcome of Crimea’s referendum to split from Ukraine, saying it violates the Ukrainian constitution. The moves are seen as mild compared to sanctions by the United States and European Union, which have frozen the assets of individuals linked to the unrest in Crimea or who support the region’s vote to secede from Ukraine. —AP
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