Japan’s Foreign Ministry announced today the removal of Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shar’ and Interior Minister Anas Khattab from its list of individuals subject to asset freezes and sanctions.

The decision follows similar measures taken by the United States and the United Kingdom two days ago. It forms part of a series of steps by several Western countries, following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December, aimed at reintegrating officials from the current Syrian government into the international community.