Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday the country is imposing sanctions on Russia over its recent actions in Ukraine. The sanctions will include prohibiting the issuance of Russian bonds in Japan and freezing assets of certain Russian nationals, according to Kishida. The prime minister said that Russia acted to violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and asked Moscow to engage in diplomatic talks. Kishida added that Japan was prepared to take further actions if the situation further deteriorates. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday announced that Russia now regards two areas in Ukraine’s Donbas regions—Luhansk and Donetsk—as independent, and subsequently signed a decree authorizing Russian troops to be sent into the area for “peacekeeping operations.” Japan relies Russia for some of its energy needs, with Russia providing more than 12 percent of Japan’s thermal coal in 2021, and almost a tenth of its liquefied natural gas. Kishida said he did not foresee any …