According to a report by the Japan Kyodo News on August 26, Akane Tomoko, the President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) who was previously listed as a target of sanctions by the US government, said during an online press conference held at a Japanese journalist club that "I have no reason to be subject to sanctions," and added that she would "resist any adverse effects."
Regarding the sanctions imposed by the US side, Akane said that “the ICC will not be defeated”, and she also requested support from her home country, Japan, among other ICC members. When discussing the US government’s demand for ICC members to withdraw from the organization, she emphasized that she hopes the Japanese government will take measures to prevent ICC members from withdrawing.
On August 26, Akane Tomoko, President of the International Criminal Court who is listed as a target of sanctions by the US Trump administration, attended an online press conference at the Japan Press Club. Video screenshot
On August 18, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated in a statement that he had imposed sanctions on ICC President Akane Tomoko, who is Japanese, and senior attorneys at the court, Abdullahi Ceyé, who is Senegalese, based on an executive order issued by U.S. President Donald Trump last year to sanction the ICC.
Rubio claimed: “These two individuals were directly involved in actions that led to the International Criminal Court investigating, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting officials whose governments did not agree with the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction.”
According to Kyodo News, nine out of the 18 judges at the ICC, including Akane, have been listed as targets of sanctions. This is a very rare situation. After being sanctioned, their assets in the United States will be frozen, and they will not be able to use the U.S. financial system. In principle, they are also prohibited from entering the United States.
Japan is the country that will contribute the most to the ICC's funds in 2025. While European countries and the United Nations have criticized the targeting of Akagi, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe initially only expressed 'great regret', which led to criticism of his weak stance.
It was not until August 25th that Governor Gao strengthened the wording, stating that "this is incompatible with Japan's stance of emphasizing the rule of law, and we are taking this matter very seriously."
