Japan lifts sanctions on 16 Syrian entities
Japan removed 16 Syrian entities from its asset-freezing sanctions list, further easing restrictions imposed under former President Bashar Assad following the collapse of his government in 2024.
TOKYO, Sept. 29, 2026 — Japan partially lifted sanctions imposed on Syria under former President Bashar Assad, removing 16 entities from measures that include asset freezes, the Foreign Ministry said.
The delisted entities include the Commercial Bank of Syria, Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank, Syria International Islamic Bank, Syriatel, the Syrian Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Interior. Energy-related entities removed include the General Petroleum Corporation, Syrian Petroleum Company, Syria Trading Oil Company and Syrian Company for Oil Transport.
Japan said the decision reflected subsequent developments in Syria and its bilateral relationship with the country. The measures were implemented under a Cabinet understanding dated Sept. 29.
Japan first imposed asset freezes and other measures against Assad and related individuals and entities in 2011. It partially eased those restrictions in May 2025 after the Assad government collapsed in December 2024, in line with steps taken by other major countries.
Following the latest delistings, Japan's sanctions measures remain in place against 59 individuals and 15 entities linked to the former Syrian government.
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Structured data extracted from official sources and validated by sanctions experts