Japan reiterates support for ICC president after backlash over ‘weak’ response to US sanctions

TOKYO — Japan on Monday reiterated its support for International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane after human rights groups criticized Tokyo for what they described as a weak response to US sanctions against the Japanese judge, Kyodo News reported.Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Tokyo had maintained close communication with Akane and was prepared to provide any necessary support.“If there is any necessary support we can provide, we intend to make sure that we do so,” Kihara said, according to Kyodo.The remarks followed criticism from international rights groups after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and the Foreign Ministry last week described Washington’s sanctions as “very unfortunate,” but stopped short of condemning the move.Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard criticized Tokyo’s response on US social media company X.“This is a rather weak reaction from Japan to the sanctioning of their national and President of the ICC. They ‘note’ the sanction and reaffirm their commitment to the ICC,” she said.Human Rights Watch Japan Director Kanae Doi also said the government should build on its longstanding support for the ICC by “strongly condemning” the Trump administration’s actions against the court.Kihara acknowledged that “various viewpoints” had been raised but declined to address them individually, reiterating Japan’s longstanding support for the ICC and the international rule of law.On Friday, Akane warned against “the demise of international rule of law” after the US targeted her with sanctions.Washington sanctioned Akane and trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal on Tuesday as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against what it calls a “corrupt and fatally politicized” body.“The sanction against me this time was something I had anticipated to an extent, so I’m not surprised,” Akane said in a statement released on X.“The important thing is not to let this be the beginning of the demise of international rule of law.”The measures bar Akane and Seye from entering the United States and from carrying out transactions in the US financial system.Akane’s statement — her first public comments since the sanctions — comes after the ICC on Wednesday called the US measures a “flagrant attack” on the court’s independence.The United Nations rights chief Volker Turk and top EU officials threw their support behind Akane and her institution.Washington’s latest move follows sanctions it imposed on several ICC officials, seen as largely in response to the court’s investigations involving Israel.Seye was involved in seeking an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.Japan is the biggest funder of the ICC and a close US ally, and Akane’s designation presents a dilemma for Tokyo.