Tokyo Report | Diplomacy | East Asia

US ICC Sanctions Pose a Test for Japan

Japan’s only treaty ally sanctioned the ICC president – who happens to be a Japanese national. That embodies Japan’s rule-of-law conundrum. 

ICC President Akane Tomoko speaks at the annual ICC-NGO roundtable at the seat of the court in The Hague, Netherlands, July 5, 2026.

When the United States sanctioned International Criminal Court (ICC) President Akane Tomoko on August 18, Tokyo’s response was swift – and carefully calibrated. The next day, Foreign Ministry Press Secretary Kitamura Toshihiro called the move “very unfortunate,” reaffirming Japan’s consistent support for the ICC and the rule of law.

Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae commented publicly on the same day, telling reporters that she considered the sanctions “very unfortunate” and would continue communicating with the United States and other relevant countries. She did not, however, say whether Tokyo would ask Washington to withdraw the sanctions.

It was a statement of principle, but the restraint was noticeable. After all, Akane is a Japanese judge leading an institution that Tokyo has spent nearly two decades championing. Japan became a state party to the Rome Statute in 2007 and has since been one of the ICC’s strongest supporters.

On January 7, Takaichi herself received Akane and International Court of Justice President Iwasawa Yuji separately, describing the two courts as central to the rule of law and pledging Japan’s firm support. Eight months later, Akane has been personally sanctioned by Japan’s only treaty ally.

Washington’s sanctions, which also targeted Senegalese ICC lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, are part of a broader Trump administration campaign against the court. The United States argues that the ICC has overstepped its authority by pursuing nationals of countries, including the United States and Israel, that have not accepted its jurisdiction. In his statement announcing the sanctions, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the court “corrupt and fatally politicized” and denounced what he called “its assault on state sovereignty.” 

The ICC strongly rejected the latest sanctions, calling them “a flagrant attack” on the independence of an impartial judicial institution. The court warned that threats against judicial officials for applying the law put “the international legal order itself” at risk. The ICC said nine of its 18 judges are now under U.S. sanctions, along with both deputy prosecutors, a former prosecutor, and one staff member. 

Akane herself had already expressed a profound sense of crisis over growing pressure on international justice. In an interview with Japanese media, she described the rule of law as “a flickering candle.”

European leaders have rallied behind Akane. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa said they “stand firmly” with the ICC president and officials carrying out its mission, stressing that the court’s judges and officials must be able to act independently and without external pressure. The Netherlands, which hosts the ICC, has likewise rejected the sanctions and reaffirmed its support for the court and Akane. 

Pressure on Tokyo to go further is also building at home. A cross-party parliamentary group condemned the sanctions in the “strongest possible terms” and urged Takaichi and Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu to lodge a clear protest and demand their withdrawal.

Tamaki Yuichiro, leader of the Democratic Party for the........

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