THE HAGUE - International Criminal Court President Tomoko Akane met Friday with a cross-party delegation of Japanese lawmakers and called for continued support from member countries for the tribunal despite the sanctions imposed by the United States.
Akane, who is herself the target of U.S. sanctions, made the call at the outset of the meeting at the ICC headquarters in The Hague, acknowledging that Japan has been making significant contributions to the organization.
Japan is the biggest financial contributor and has been sending judges to the organization, including Akane, the first Japanese national to head the ICC.
The meeting was the first between Akane and the delegation of Japanese lawmakers promoting human rights diplomacy since the United States under President Donald Trump imposed sanctions on the ICC in October, accusing it of encroaching on state sovereignty. Washington announced sanctions on Akane and other ICC officials in August.
"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," Yasue Funayama, who co-heads the parliamentarians' group with former Defense Minister Gen Nakatani of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, told reporters after the meeting.
Funayama said Akane and other ICC staff the delegation spoke with wanted Japan to do its part and communicate with the United States.
In response to Akane's recent call for U.N. member states to take "concrete action" in defense of the ICC, Japan's top government spokesman Minoru Kihara has said the country is considering what financial assistance it can provide to the organization.
"Japan, which has been advocating for the rule of law, should not waver when the ICC is facing a crisis," said Yoshihiko Noda, Japan's prime minister between 2011 and 2012 and part of the delegation. "We will join forces across party lines" to support the ICC, he added.
