Press Releases
Partial lifting of “Asset freezing and other measures imposed on Syrian President Al-Assad and related individuals and entities”
Since 2011, Japan has been applying "Asset freezing and other measures imposed on Syrian President Al-Assad and related individuals and entities " against Syria under the Assad regime. After the collapse of the regime in December 2024, in line with the measures taken by other major countries, Japan partially lifted those measures in May 2025.
In view of the subsequent developments in the situation surrounding Syria and considering the bilateral relationship between Japan and Syria, the Government of Japan has introduced the following measures, based on the Cabinet Understanding of “Partial lifting of ‘the asset freezing and other measures imposed on Syrian President Al-Assad and related individuals and entities’” as of September 29, 2026.
- Decision
Based on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Notice (promulgated on September 29), entities listed (in item 2) below are to be removed from the list of entities subject to asset freezing and other measures. - Entities removed from the list
- Syriatel
- Military Housing Establishment
- Real Estate Bank
- Political Security Directorate
- Commercial Bank of Syria
- Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank
- Syria Trading Oil Company (Sytrol)
- General Petroleum Corporation (GPC)
- Syrian Petroleum Company (SPC)
- Syrian Company for Oil Transport (SCOT)
- General Organization of Radio and TV
- Syria International Islamic Bank (SIIB)
- Ministry of Defence
- Ministry of Interior
- Cotton Marketing Organization
- Mahrukat Company (The Syrian Company for the Storage and Distribution of Petroleum Products)
(Note) After the partial lifting this time, “the asset freezing and other measures imposed on Syrian President Al-Assad and related individuals and entities” will remain imposed on 59 individuals and 15 entities.