Japan’s government has imposed sanctions on members of the Russian leadership and some financial institutions, as well as leaders of Belarus in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the foreign ministry said on Tuesday. The sanctions come after Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Monday that Japan will further strengthen its sanctions if the situation in Ukraine deteriorates. This round of sanctions includes the freezing assets of six Russian leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, Security Council’s deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev, and the council’s secretary Nikolay Patrushev. The asset freeze will also target three Russian financial institutions, namely Russian state development corporation VEB, Promsvyazbank, and Bank Rossiya. Japan will prohibit exports to 49 Russian entities as part of the sanctions, the ministry said. Kishida said that Belarus, an ally of Russia, will also be subject to new sanctions. The country …