ICC president Tomoko Akane urges Japan to stop US sanctions escalation

ICC president Tomoko Akane urged Japan to press Washington against further sanctions on the court. Her appeal deepens Tokyo's balancing act between backing the rule of law and preserving ties with the US.

In Short

• Akane said sanctions froze access to assets and basic financial services
• She said suspended credit cards caused inconvenience but not intimidation
• Tokyo called the measures incompatible with Japan's long-standing rule-of-law stance

International Criminal Court president Tomoko Akane said on Wednesday that there is no reason for her to face US sanctions and asked the Japanese government to work with Washington to prevent tensions from rising further. Akane, a Japanese national, said the measures had caused her personal inconvenience but would not affect her judicial work.

The United States has sanctioned about a dozen ICC staff members in response to investigations involving Israeli officials in Gaza and US military personnel in Afghanistan, accusing the court of going beyond its mandate. Last week, Akane became the latest court member to be targeted under sanctions that freeze any assets in US jurisdictions, bar court officials and their families from entering the United States, and cut off access to even basic financial services.

Speaking by video from The Hague at a news conference, Akane said: "I insist that there is no reason I have to be sanctioned." She said the sanctions, which she had expected, had not intimidated her and would not affect her judicial work. "ICC will never be defeated. Justice will and should prevail."

Akane said that despite the "unreasonable inconvenience and threat" to her as an individual, including the suspension of her credit cards, she was determined to protect the ICC, its judges and staff, and to continue its operations. She urged Japan, a US ally that has consistently placed the rule of law at the centre of its diplomacy, to persuade Washington not to escalate the situation further. She also called on Japan to approach other ICC members so that they do not give in to US pressure and withdraw.

"ICC is a last hope for the victims of serious international crimes," she said. "I would like Japan to do everything it can to defend ICC and the rule of law in the global society."

According to the report, the Trump administration has now sanctioned nine of the ICC's 18 judges, both of its deputy prosecutors, its former chief prosecutor and one other staff member from the prosecution office. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has faced the challenge of balancing Japan's support for the rule of law with its ties to US President Donald Trump.

On Tuesday, Takaichi told reporters that the US sanctions against Akane were "not compatible" with Japan's position and that "we take this very seriously". "I share the sense of crisis and concern that President Akane has faced, and we will continue to provide necessary support," Takaichi said. She rejected criticism, including from within her own party, that she had avoided confronting Trump, saying Japan had repeatedly urged Washington not to impose sanctions on Akane.

On Monday, a cross-party group of ruling and opposition lawmakers adopted a statement denouncing the Trump administration over the sanctioning of the ICC chief. They demanded that the action be withdrawn and urged Takaichi's government to take tougher steps. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said on Tuesday that his ministry had also sent an official to The Hague to meet Akane and discuss how the government could support her. He said the US position against the ICC was "extremely severe" and added that Washington had indicated the possibility of additional sanctions.

Japan became the 105th member of the ICC in 2007 under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Akane's remarks and the response from Japanese leaders underlined Tokyo's concern over the sanctions, even as it seeks to continue backing the court and the rule of law.

With PTI Inputs

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