Sanctioned ICC chief urges Japan to counter U.S. campaign

International Criminal Court (ICC) President Tomoko Akane on Wednesday urged Japan to use its diplomatic influence to counter Washington’s campaign against the tribunal and help prevent member states in the region from withdrawing from the body, calling sanctions against court officials “a crisis for the rule of law.”

Speaking remotely from a news conference in The Hague, organized by the Japan National Press Club, Akane rejected the U.S. allegation that the court had infringed upon the sovereignty of countries that have not accepted its jurisdiction.

“I can state categorically that there is absolutely no reason for me to be sanctioned,” the Japanese ICC chief said. “It is not true that the ICC abused so-called international law to deprive independent states of their sovereignty, or that I have participated in doing so.”