Japan is looking to protect the assets of Japanese companies operating in Russia, including in some energy projects, by keeping communication channels open, a top Japanese official said on Tuesday. “We have been dispatching Japanese government officials to Russia to maintain contact, and this current dispatch is part of that ongoing effort,” Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s Trade Minister, said at a briefing, as carried by Bloomberg. Several major Japanese companies continue to operate in Russia although most firms from Japan’s Western…