政府、関税の優遇税率撤回　対ロ制裁強化、暗号資産も規制

　政府が、ロシアへの制裁強化で改正を検討している関連法案の概要が３１日、分かった。関税暫定措置法を改め、ロシアから輸入するサケや木材などについて貿易上の優遇税率を撤回し、高関税を課す。匿名性の高い暗号資産が制裁の抜け穴になるのを防ぐため外為法も改正する。政府は両法の改正案を今国会に提出する方針だ。
　関税暫定措置法が改正されると、輸入品への税率は、サケ・マスなどの魚介類で３．５％から５％、木材で４．８％から８％にそれぞれ引き上げられる。液化天然ガス（ＬＮＧ）やパラジウムなどはもともと無税で変更はない。（2022/03/31-16:43）

The Japanese government is slated to submit law revisions to implement sanctions against Russia, including stripping it of preferential tariff measures, during the ongoing ordinary session of the Diet, Japan's parliament.
   A bill to revise the temporary tariff measures law will allow Japan to raise its tariffs on Russian seafood, such as salmon and trout, from 3.5 pct to 5 pct and on lumber from 4.8 pct to 8 pct, informed sources said. Some items including liquefied natural gas and palladium will be kept free of duty.
   Under World Trade Organization rules, Japan has been applying preferential tariff rates to imports from Russia. Following a Group of Seven statement on the revocation of Russia's most-favored-nation trade status, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on March 16 that his country would keep step with its G-7 partners on the matter.
   Meanwhile, the government is preparing a bill to revise the foreign exchange law to prevent highly anonymous cryptocurrency transactions from being used as a loophole in sanctions.
   The bill will call for newly restricting the transfer of assets from sanction targets to third parties and obliging cryptocurrency exchange service providers to check when transferring cryptocurrencies that recipients are not on sanctions lists, the sources said. Regulations for such providers will become as strict as those for banks.