In brief
ICC President Tomoko Akane held a meeting with Japanese lawmakers in The Hague, calling for the country’s ongoing support for the International Criminal Court and urging it to lead efforts to lift U.S. sanctions. The delegation pledged joint backing of the tribunal, with Japanese officials highlighting their role as the court’s largest financial contributor. The meeting follows U.S. sanctions targeting the ICC and underscores rising tensions over the court’s legitimacy.
In The Hague on Friday, International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane met a cross‑party delegation of Japanese lawmakers, urging the nation to keep backing the tribunal amid U.S. sanctions directed at the institution.
Akane, herself the target of U.S. sanctions, opened the meeting at ICC headquarters by acknowledging Japan’s role as the court’s biggest financial contributor and a source of judges, including herself as the first Japanese national to head the ICC.
"I felt anew that Japan should take the lead in taking action (toward the removal of the sanctions) with a strong determination that our country should say what must be said to the United States because we are allies," said Yasue Funayama, co‑head of the parliamentarians’ group, after the meeting.
Japanese lawmakers, including former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and former Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda, voiced unified support for the court. Noda added that the delegation would “join forces across party lines” to stand behind the ICC.
"Japan, which has been advocating for the rule of law, should not waver when the ICC is facing a crisis," Noda said.
Japan’s top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said the country was evaluating additional financial assistance for the ICC. He stated that Japan, a long‑standing proponent of the rule of law, must not waver in its support as the court faces a crisis.
The meeting marks the first time since U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration imposed sanctions on the ICC in October that Japanese lawmakers have engaged with the court’s leadership. The U.S. announced sanctions on Akane and other ICC officials in August. Witnessing this joint pledge, the delegation reaffirmed Japan’s commitment to the role of the ICC on the global stage.
