▲ The International Criminal Court (ICC) building in The Hague, Netherlands.
International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane, who was recently targeted by sanctions from the Donald Trump administration, stated during an online press conference hosted by the Japan National Press Club today that the "ICC will never lose," while calling for support from the international community.
This marks the first time Akane has spoken in public since being placed on the U.S. sanctions list on the 18th.
During the press conference, Akane emphasized that she has dedicated herself to contributing to the establishment of the rule of law, cuttingly stating that "there are absolutely no grounds for receiving sanctions."
Regarding the disadvantages caused by the U.S. sanctions, she stated, "We will resist as much as possible."
She stressed that the ICC is the "last hope" for victims of international crimes, appealing to the public to view the U.S. sanctions as a crisis for the rule of law.
Expressing gratitude to the Japanese government—her home country—for its support following her designation as a sanction target, she asked Tokyo to convey the importance of the ICC to the United States.
The Japanese government had faced criticism for failing to take active measures after the Trump administration announced sanctions against two high-ranking ICC officials, including Akane, despite a Japanese national being targeted.
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi had initially stated after the sanctions against Akane and others became known that she found it "deeply regrettable."
As criticism regarding a passive response grew louder, Takaichi stated yesterday (the 25th), "This is incompatible with Japan's stance of valuing the rule of law, and we are taking it very seriously."
Akane, a former public prosecutor in Nagoya, Japan, served as the director of the United Nations Asia and Far East Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFEI), before taking office as an ICC judge in 2018, becoming the third Japanese national to do so.
She was placed on Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs wanted list after presiding over the review of arrest warrants for figures including Russian President Vladimir Putin in connection with alleged war crimes in Ukraine in 2023.
She has continued to emphasize the significance of the ICC's existence, and in March 2024, she became the first Japanese national to take office as its president.
On the 18th, the U.S. government placed Akane and Senior Trial Lawyer Mame Mandiaye Niang on its sanctions list, stating they had "directly engaged in efforts by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute officials of countries not party to its jurisdiction."
Following the issuance of an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu starting in February of last year right after taking office, the Trump administration has successively sanctioned ICC officials.
As concerns have been raised that a mistaken airstrike on an Iranian girls' school in the early stages of the Iran conflict could constitute a war crime, interpretations have emerged both inside and outside the U.S. that the Trump administration is stepping up efforts to "tame the ICC."
The ICC announced that with the addition of Akane and others, 9 out of 18 judges, both deputy prosecutors, 1 former prosecutor, and 1 staff member have become targets of U.S. sanctions.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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