In brief
ICC President Tomoko Akane met a bipartisan delegation of Japanese lawmakers in The Hague, urging Japan—its largest financial backer—to help remove U.S. sanctions. The meeting, the first since the Trump‑era restrictions, underscores shifting support for the court amid questions of sovereignty and accountability. Japanese officials, including a former prime minister, pledged renewed support and financial commitment to the tribunal.
ICC President Tomoko Akane sat down in The Hague with a cross‑party delegation of Japanese lawmakers to seek intensified backing for the court, amid a backdrop of United States sanctions that have targeted her and other International Criminal Court staff.
The sanctions, announced by Washington in August and expanded under former President Donald Trump, accuse the ICC of infringing on state sovereignty and have isolated the court from a key donor. Japan, the largest financial contributor to the ICC and a steady source of judges—including Akane herself, the first Japanese national to head the tribunal—has been called upon to lead a diplomatic push to lift the sanctions.
The delegation, which includes former defense minister Gen Nakatani and former prime minister Yoshihiko Noda, arrived at the ICC headquarters in The Hague to forge a united front. The meeting follows a surge of “human rights diplomacy” campaigns in Japan, prompted by the U.S. action that was described by the delegation as a partisan attack on democratic institutions and the rule of law.
During the session, Yasue Funayama, co‑head of the parliamentarians’ group, told reporters that the delegation wanted Japan to take a decisive role in persuading the United States to remove the sanctions. She said the country should “say what must be said to the United States because we are allies.”
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,
Ms. Funayama emphasized that the delegation’s requests were rooted in Japan’s long‑standing commitment to the rule of law and human rights, and that the country’s continued support for the ICC is a matter of public accountability.
Japan’s top government spokesman, Minoru Kihara, said Japan is weighing how to provide further financial help to the court in the context of the sanctions. He reiterated that Japan should not waver when the ICC is facing a crisis, echoing statements made by former prime minister Noda during the visit.
Former prime minister Noda, who had served from 2011 to 2012, joined the delegation in a bipartisan effort to show Japan’s sustained commitment to international justice. He added that the entire country would “join forces across party lines” to support the ICC, underscoring a domestic consensus that extends beyond political divides.
While the U.S. remains steadfast in its sanctions, the meeting highlights a growing perception among some lawmakers that the court has a critical domestic and global role. The delegation’s outreach may prompt Japan to lobby Washington more forcefully, potentially influencing public opinion back home about the court’s legitimacy and appeals to broader civic engagement.
The visit also signals to other member countries that the American pressure on the ICC is not uniform across the globe. If Japan steps up its financial commitments and diplomatic advocacy, it may inspire other supporters to re‑evaluate their positions, thereby shaping a new chapter in the ICC’s quest for wider acceptance and accountability.
