Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Wednesday that she considers the “very regrettable” decision by the United States to impose sanctions on Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national who is the president of the International Criminal Court (ICC). This is the latest step by Washington against the Hague‑based court.
After the US imposed sanctions on Tuesday, Takaichi told reporters in Tokyo that her government would respond to the situation by “continuing communication with partner countries, including the United States.”
Japan’s support for the International Criminal Court
Foreign Ministry spokesman Toshihiro Kitamura also issued a statement, noting that Japan “consistently supports” the ICC in its efforts to prosecute and punish “the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.” Tokyo will remain committed to “strengthening the rule of law” worldwide through dialogue with partner countries and other parties, Kitamura added.
The sanctions were imposed amid criticism from the administration of President Donald Trump against the ICC for opening an investigation into US military personnel for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan and issuing an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in connection with his country’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip.
US accusations and Akane’s role
In a statement on Tuesday announcing the sanctions, which also targeted Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal, a senior ICC lawyer, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the court as “a corrupt and fatally politicized supranational court that has maliciously abused its powers and exceeded its mandate.”
Rubio claimed that Akane and Seye “were directly involved” in the ICC’s efforts to “investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute” officials whose governments had not consented to its jurisdiction. When Rubio announced last month the launch of a “major campaign to eliminate the threat” that he said the ICC poses to his country’s sovereignty, Takaichi’s government said Japan, a close US ally, was “watching closely with concern.”
Tomoko Akane, a 70-year-old former prosecutor, began her three‑year term as ICC president in March 2024, becoming the first Japanese national to hold the position. As an ICC judge, Akane was involved in issuing an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 in connection with his alleged involvement in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children amid Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine. In response, Russia placed her on its wanted list.
Following the latest imposition of sanctions, Washington has imposed restrictions on nine of the 18 ICC judges, including Akane. The sanctions include, among other things, freezing their assets in the United States and effectively blocking access to the US financial system.
Source: The Mainichi
