Fast Retailing Co., prominent Japanese multinational retailer and owner of Uniqlo, has announced that it will keep its stores in Russia, even as a number of foreign companies moved to suspend their operations in the country open amid the current situation in Ukraine.
"Clothing is a necessity of life. The people of Russia have the same right to live as we do," Fast Retailing CEO Tadashi Yanai said, with his remarks first being reported by Nikkei.
He did mention, however, that every country should oppose war.
A spokesperson for the company, which has 49 stores in Russia, also told Reuters that they had seen no noticeable impact on its supply chain or logistics in the country.
Fortune magazine also notes that Yanai questions "a trend that pressures companies to make political choices."
The United States and several European countries imposed economic sanctions against Russia after it launched a military operation in Ukraine last month, with the goal of said operation being described by the Russian government as the neutralization of Ukraine’s military capacity.
Along with sanctions imposed by governments, a number of prominent companies, such as Nike and Ikea, moved to halt their operations in Russia.
Said operation, initiated after Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics asked Moscow for assistance against attacks by Ukrainian troops, is aimed at neutralizing Ukraine's military capacity, according to the Russian government.