July 1 (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said on Friday that Russia's decision to take over the rights of the Sakhalin-2 energy project would not immediately stop liquefied natural gas imports from the development.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Thursday to take charge of the Sakhalin-2 gas and oil project in Russia's far east, a move that could force two Japanese companies to abandon their investments as the economic tit-for-tat over Ukraine deepens.

Kishida told reporters that the government should look into what requirements were included in the contract on the energy project. (Reporting by Ju-min Park; Editing by Jan Harvey)