Tokyo has broken with its closest security ally over the International Criminal Court, publicly denouncing Washington’s decision to sanction ICC President Tomoko Akane — a Japanese national — as the Trump administration escalates its campaign against the court it labels “corrupt and fatally politicised.”
Japan’s foreign ministry press secretary Toshihiro Kitamura issued a formal statement on Wednesday criticising the US action, underscoring a rare and pointed diplomatic divergence between two of the world’s closest treaty allies.
Japan, the ICC’s Largest Financial Backer, Registers Formal Objection to Washington’s Targeting of Akane
Japan is the single largest funder of the International Criminal Court, making Tokyo’s rebuke of the US sanctions particularly significant. Kitamura stated that Japan has “consistently supported the ICC… in its efforts to prosecute and punish the most serious crimes of concern to the international community and to uphold the rule of law,” adding that the announced measures were “very unfortunate.”
The sanctions, imposed by the Trump administration on Tuesday, targeted Akane alongside ICC Senior Trial Lawyer Abdoulaye Seye of Senegal. The measures bar both individuals from entering the United States and from conducting transactions within the US financial system. Washington, which signed but never ratified the Rome Statute that established the ICC in 2002, is not a party to the court.
Trump Administration Expands Anti-ICC Campaign, Citing Investigations Into US Allies Including Israel
The US sanctions against Akane form part of a broader and intensifying offensive by the Trump administration against the ICC. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that the sanctioned individuals “have directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials whose government has not consented to ICC jurisdiction” — though he provided no specific examples to substantiate the claim.
The campaign is widely understood to be driven primarily by the court’s pursuit of Israel, a close US ally. In 2024, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in connection with the war in Gaza. Netanyahu responded to Tuesday’s sanctions with approval, posting on X that the ICC was “a kangaroo court that cloaks its abuse of power in the language of international law.”
The United States has already sanctioned several other ICC officials before Tuesday’s announcement. Last month, Washington launched what it described as a major diplomatic offensive against the institution, formally accusing the court of “threatening” Americans and calling on partner nations to withdraw. Chad and Venezuela have since announced their withdrawal from the court.
ICC and Allied Governments Assert That Sanctions Against Judicial Officials Undermine the International Legal Order
The ICC responded to Tuesday’s sanctions with a direct statement, asserting that the US measures “undermine the rule of law.” The court added: “When judicial actors are threatened for applying the law, it is the international legal order itself that is placed at risk.”
The Netherlands, which hosts the ICC at The Hague, also registered its opposition. Dutch Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen wrote on X that his government “disapproves of the latest sanctions against officials and staff of the ICC,” stating that “international courts and tribunals must be able to freely carry out their mandates.”
Human Rights Watch condemned the new sanctions, with its Middle East and North Africa director Balkees Jarrah calling them “the latest example of the Trump administration’s utter contempt for international law and a naked attempt to shield American and Israeli officials implicated in serious crimes from justice.” Last week, four human rights organisations filed suit against President Donald Trump in a New York federal court over the existing ICC sanctions, arguing the measures block war crimes victims from pursuing justice.
Akane’s Background and History With the Court Adds Further Dimension to the US-Japan Friction
Tomoko Akane, 70, has served as an ICC judge since 2018 and was elected as the court’s president in March 2024. She is not without precedent in having been singled out by a major power: Russia issued its own arrest warrants for senior ICC officials — including Akane — after the court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2023 over the war in Ukraine.
Akane responded to the Russian warrants with notable composure. “Even if one judge were to die, we are easily replaceable, so there is really no value in targeting us,” she said at the time. Her position now places Japan in the uncommon position of formally opposing a US executive action that directly affects one of its own citizens holding a senior position in a major international institution.
The Rubio statement framing the sanctions characterised the ICC as “a corrupt and fatally politicised supranational court that has maliciously abused its authority and exceeded its mandate,” and asserted that Washington “will not tolerate its assault on state sovereignty.”
Established in 2002, the ICC operates as a court of last resort, prosecuting individuals accused of the most serious international crimes — including genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity — when national legal systems are unwilling or unable to ensure accountability. Russia, China, Israel, and the United States are among the notable non-members of the court. — AFP/Additional reporting
About the Author
