Japan to freeze assets of Hamas members and associated company

Japan has imposed sanctions against Hamas, which will freeze the accounts of nine members of the leadership of the Palestinian group and a company associated with it, Nikkei Asia reports.

The individuals subject to sanctions are key members of Hamas and the group's financial intermediaries, the publication writes, citing the US Treasury Department . The company called Buy Cash Money and Money Transfer Company, whose assets will be frozen, is located in the Gaza Strip and provides money transfer and virtual currency exchange services.

The Japanese Foreign Ministry published on its website a list of citizens whose accounts will be frozen. “Japan will take measures such as asset freezes against nine individuals and one group of terrorists,” the ministry said on its website. However, the statement does not indicate whether these people are members of Hamas or whether they have any connection to the group at all.

Hamas is designated a terrorist organization in Japan.

The list on the Foreign Ministry website includes citizens of Palestine, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt, as well as one person with dual citizenship of Jordan and Turkey.

According to Nikkei, this is the first round of sanctions that Japan has imposed against Hamas since the war with Israel began on October 7.

On October 27, the United States imposed sanctions against Hamas members. Some members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, the elite units of the Iranian Armed Forces) were also subject to restrictions.

Axios previously wrote that US sanctions will target countries that continue to cooperate with Hamas and allow the group to hold assets.