TOKYO, May 10. /TASS/. Japan can’t fully reject Russian oil supplies immediately but will steadily reduce them, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Koichi Hagiuda said on Tuesday.

He made the comments in reference to the recent decision by the G7 to end dependence of Russian energy resources.

"We can’t now refuse to import Russian oil, but we are ready to gradually abandon dependence on Russian energy resources, while finding alternative sources of supplies," he said. Hagiuda reiterated the position voiced earlier by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who said Japan is united with other G7 countries in the decision to give up imports of Russian oil, even though that’s a difficult move for Tokyo.

Regarding a timeline and specific steps to reducing energy supplies from Russia, Hagiuda said the Japanese government will study the issue in detail in the near future. He also promised that the country's government would do everything to mitigate the effect of the move on people and companies, and the reducing of dependence on Russian energy resources would take into account national interests.

Russian oil makes up about 3% of Japan’s total oil imports.

In a joint statement following the virtual meeting over the weekend, the G7 vowed to gradually end dependence on Russian energy imports, stating it would pursue that goal in an orderly manner.